Singer-songwriter Lani Hall and trumpeter-vocalist Herb Alpert get cozy during their performance at the Dakota Jazz Club. Photos by Rohan Preston
We do not know what they do in the privacy of their own kitchen. But onstage, at least, Lani Hall and Herb Alpert sizzle.
The musical married pair cooked up a some loose, easygoing musical delights Tuesday at the Dakota Jazz Club, where they had a two-night stand. Alpert, the famed trumpeter and A&M record label founder, explained that this was the first time they were touring together since they tied the knot 35 years ago.
They first became an item when they toured together in the early 1970s, with him leading Tijuana Brass and she serving as a lead vocalist for Sergio Mendes' Brasil '66.
At the Dakota, Alpert and Hall selected material from a new album, "Anything Goes." They did American and Latin standards from composers such as Cole Porter ("I've Got You Under My Skin"), Johnny Mercer and Irving Berlin. The duo percolated on "Pararaio."
Clearly having fun, Alpert, who did most of the talking, was as colorful in what he had to say as he was on his horn.
He took questions from the audience. One person rose to thank him for rescuing her from the nunnery. She had been serving an order in the late 1960s when, outside the gate. Now, she said, she is here with her husband.
And Alpert reminisced about working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on a Janet Jackson album here many years ago. He chatted about the color of his hair and working with his wife. But he declined to take any requests, even as I wanted him to play "Rise," the instrumental jam that rapper Notorious B.I.G. sampled for the hip hop standard, "Hipnotize."
