When Cher who sang, “If I could turn back time,” she was a mere 43 years old. A kid, at least compared to two musicians who are proving 10 decades on the planet is no impediment to making music.
Exhibit A: Dino Saluzzi released a new album in July, El Viejo Caminante. Spoiler alert: He enlisted the help of relative youngsters Jacob Young (55) and his son José Saluzzi, who at 50 grew up surrounded by the music of his father, family and friends.
Exhibit B: Herb Alpert is still in the midst of a tour celebrating the 60th anniversary of his landmark album Whipped Cream and Other Delights. He and his new Tijuana Brass are thrilling sold-out crowds with the sounds he made famous more than a half-century ago.
Both are performing music, and performing it well, at the ripe age of – wait for it – 90. That’s right, the big 9-0.
In addition to playing, Saluzzi the elder wrote or co-wrote five of the 12 tunes on El Viejo Caminante. No, he’s not coasting by any means. His bandoneon is typically out front in the recording, with the the twin guitars of his bandmates wrapping their sound around his.
Dino Saluzzi has been at it a while. He led his first group at the age of 14 and released his first album on ECM in 1982. His compositions here also reach back, in the case of “Tiempos de Ausencias” to a 1986 collaboration with trumpeter Enrico Rava. Even the title tune, a solo bandoneon performance, dates back decades.
“Mi Hijo Y Yo” – literally “My Son And I” – was written by the two Saluzzis. It is one of the standout tracks, an emotional paean to making music with someone you’ve known and loved for a half century.
Pairing Jose Saluzzi’s classical guitar and the Telecaster or acoustic steel-string of Young with bandoneon might seem problematic. The openness of the three musicians makes it anything but. Dino says he sees the recording as a collection of music from different times and places, which touches upon tango, Argentinean folk music and jazz. It includes two standards, “Someday My Prince Will Come” and “My One and Only Love.” The latter concludes the album, opening with Saluzzi’s solo bandoneon for more than a minute and a half before guitar enters. Together they create a wistful mood.
As for Herb Alpert, he’s lost none of his stagecraft over the years, and has learned a thing or two from the productions of the many stars he’s featured on his label. The light show was fortunately subdued compared to what is typical of large-scale shows these days, but it and the musical performance were complemented by photos and clips from Alpert’s past were shown on a screen behind the band. The show opens with black and white video of Alpert and his group as mystery guests on What’s My Line? as the group enters the stage: That’s how far back he goes.
While they do occasionally distract from the musicians’ live performance, video clips from variety shows, band features, even Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In provide both an interesting backdrop and a history lesson about Alpert’s prowess and the music’s ubiquitous nature over the years. Ed Sullivan, commercials for Clark gum, even The Dating Game used music by Tijuana Brass.
Now Alpert is playing the music again to audiences whose age range is remarkable. There are 20-somethings, those in their 30s and 40s, and a large contingent who remember the hits from radio and TV appearances: “Spanish Flea,” “Whipped Cream,” “Tijuana Taxi,” a mournful “Smile” with clips of departed friends Burt Bacharach, Jerry Moss and Karen Carpenter.
And yes, the man can play. Alpert was never one to play screaming high notes like Maynard Ferguson or Arturo Sandoval. For Alpert, it was – and is – all about his burnished tone, casual approach and all those hits. He and the band are performing live, without a net, and with nary a misstep.
Alpert’s wife Lani Hall performs a medley of tunes, including “One Note Samba” and “The Fool on the Hill” from her time with Sergio Mendes. (She and her husband met when the two groups toured together.) And Alpert’s new Tijuana Brass – boasting the same instrumentation as its forerunners, with drums, bass, guitar, trombone, another trumpet, and a pianist who doubled on marimba – brings it all together.
That’s right, at 90 years old, these veterans are still playing, composing and performing. And they’re not done yet: Herb Alpert is working on a new holiday release. Judging by their most recent efforts, they may well still be doing so when they reach the century mark. Age ain’t nothin’ but a number after all.
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