Mambo a la Herb Alpert?

[ideascapes]

Music supervisor's description: Lite Mambo a la Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, 1-2 minutes long, no vocalsMy song: Mambo Lindo http://www.taxi.com/ideascapesAny and all comments appreciated!Vince

[toddt]

Hi Vince,I think it's very well done! It's got good balance and feel. I'd never heard of Herb Alpert but it sounds very familiar stylewise.And the trumpet work is great - one of the really fast runs (at around the minute mark) seems to be struggling just a tiny bit, but it soon regains composure.Good luck.tt

[aldicicco]

Hi Vince,This is a fun tune and it carries a lot of Alpert-isms. The song seems a little fast to me. To me, Alpert's tunes didn't always display great dexterity/chops, but a super sound. I think of his biggest hits as pretty much mid-tempo tunes (although I believe he did a pretty zippy Zorba the Greek cover....).Did Alpert double his trumpet to get his sound? Or did he process the trumpet in some specific way? I don't know.... Did you try to emulate this?The piano is pretty dominant, not that I'd ever dis a cool piano part.... But - it makes me ask where the TJ Brass is hiding?Thanks for sharing Vince. I like that Mambo rhythym!Best wishes,Al

[ideascapes]

tt, Herb Alpert (and the Tijuana Brass) was a pop-jazz group in the '70s that had some hits and a recognizable sound (Herb played trumpet) with a Mc-Latin vibe. I'll take a listen to that fast run again.Al, this was a fun song to do. When you said the piano is dominant, I think you meant, why is it a lead instrument, as opposed to, "it's too loud." Good question, and coupled with your other about the brass, makes me wonder if I should had more horns. Thanks to both for the listen and comments!Vince

[ideascapes]

Oh, Al, I did listen to a TJ brass song and it did sound like the trumpet was doubled while playing the lead parts. And it was often played with a single harmony line. I'll have to experiment with those.V>

[crs7string]

Vince,Herb Alpert did double all his parts. He also played very simple parts. I don't know how close they want this track to be to TB but Herb would have played more sustained and melodic lines than a lot of notes. The rhythm section propelled the music not Herb.I always enjoyed TJB especially after being drawn to the cover of "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" BTW there is an interesting CD of remixed TJB.

[mazz]

Hi Vince,As a big TJB fan in the 70s I can say that this piece is a bit too overtly latin and the trumpet is too "chopsy" in comparison. That isn't to say it's not a cool piece, but it really depends on how true you want to be to the "a la".I think a bit more Mariachi and a bit less Cuba. There would still be Latin Percussion but it would be more maracas than cowbells and the overall feel would be a bit more sleepy "south of the border" rather than spicy "salsa". A smoother, more melodic style would be appropriate here rather than the more aggressive, jazzy feel you have for the trumpet.TJB had at least 2 trumpets with Alpert being the lead. Their sound was almost always influenced by the classic Mariachi trumpets in parallel thirds or sixths. Their unisons were also nice and fat due to there being two different players playing the parts.Cool piece! IMO not on the money yet. Try a couple of shots of Cuervo and a nice siesta and then do another take! Mazz

[ideascapes]

Good inputs, thanks Mazz and crs7--sounds like you're saying the same things re: the trumpet lines. I'll wait to hear what the super says and, if he was really looking for HA&TJB, he'll probably echo your comments. Unfortunately, I acted on your other advice: took 2 shots of Cuervo and looked at the cover of "Whipped Cream..." and now I'm chasing my wife around the house rather than playing music...V>

[rld]

I listened before looking at any of the responses and I pretty much have the same thoughts.The H.A. in my memory banks is a bit more mellow, chops wise and lots of harmony lines for the trumpets.You've got a nice piece so far though.Interested to hear what the Super says.

[k o star]

hey Vince,This is way outta my genre but it sure feels Mambo to me...Makes me feel oh so happy!I like the trumpet sound alot..Damn, I can't dance but I'm movin' & shakin' now..-Kel