The Lonely Bull

by Herb Alpert, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

Overview

The colossus that is A&M Records starts right here with the first album by the 1960s instrumental juggernaut known as the Tijuana Brass. True, there was no "Tijuana Brass" per se at this time; just Herb Alpert and a coterie of Los Angeles sessionmen, with Alpert overdubbing himself on trumpet to get that bullring effect. Also, Alpert was just getting the TJB concept underway; the textures are leaner, the productions less polished, and the accent is more consciously on a Mexican mariachi ambience -- the relatively square rhythms, the mandolins, the mournful, wistful siesta feeling -- than the records down the road. The hit title track (originally a tune called "Twinkle Star"!) is a cleverly structured, exciting and haunting piece of record-making -- and its composer, Sol Lake, becomes the charter member of Alpert's team of TJB tunesmiths with several more ethnic-flavored numbers. In accordance with the newly emerging bossa nova movement, Alpert does a nice, straightforward, authentic cover of "Desafinado," even departing a bit from the tune with some spare jazz-inspired licks, and "Crawfish" pleasingly adapts the mariachi horn sound to a bossa beat. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2016
Label:	Herb Alpert Presents
UPC:	0814647020198
Rank:	19329

Tracks

1. The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)
2. El Lobo (The Wolf)
3. Tijuana Sauerkraut
4. Desafinado
5. Mexico
6. Never on Sunday
7. Struttin' With Maria
8. Let It Be Me
9. Acapulco 1922
10. Limbo Rock
11. Crawfish
12. A Quiet Tear (Lagrima Quieta)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass   Primary Artist
Herb Alpert   Primary Artist,Horn

Technical Credits

Manos Hadjidakis   Composer
Ben Weisman   Composer
Fred Wise   Composer
Charles Underwood   Engineer
Jerry Moss   Composer,Producer
Manny Curtis   Composer
Gilbert Becaud   Composer
Herb Alpert   Composer,Producer,Performer
Billy Strange   Composer
Antonio Carlos Jobim   Composer
Jon Sheldon   Composer
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass   Performer
Billy Towne   Composer
Harry Green   Composer
Pierre Delanoe   Composer
Eldon Allan   Composer
Newton Mendonca   Composer
Lake Doran   Composer
Becaud   Composer
Sol Lake   Composer
Boudleaux Bryant   Composer