Music Blurbs Vol. 13

Herb Alpert
It’s only a slight overstatement to call trumpeter Herb Alpert the king of 1960s easy listening music. Alpert, of course, led the staggeringly successful Tijuana Brass; if you’ve ever been in a thrift shop, you’ve seen Whipped Cream and Other Delights, the record with that famously racy cover photo. And as the “A” in A&M Records, Alpert co-founded the world’s largest independent record company. He’s best known, however, as the man who brought a kind of pop-jazz into the homes of millions; as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, he released 11 albums between 1962 and 1968; six of those LPs went to #1 on the Billboard charts. Alpert’s chirpy, uptempo style was effectively the soundtrack for a certain segment of the ‘60s lifestyle. After the Tijuana Brass years, Alpert largely left the south-of-the-border style behind, continuing his successes via a smoother mainstream jazz sound. Now coming full circle, Alpert’s current tour – with his current Tijuana Brass Band – celebrates the 60^th anniversary of Whipped Cream.

Jake Shimabukuro
Ukulele probably isn’t the first instrument that comes to mind when one thinks of powerfully rocking music. But Honolulu-born Jake Shimabukuro is the sort of artist who can make that comparatively humble instrument work in a surprising variety of contexts. His 2016 album Nashville Sessions is something one rarely encounters: a ukulele-led (say that three times fast) power trio. It’s astoundingly good, and recommended for fans of Cream and Joe Satriani. He continued in a similar vein when guesting on Mick Fleetwood’s 2024 album Blues Experience. Tackling well-loved tunes from the likes of Jeff Beck, Procol Harum and the original Fleetwood Mac, they create a wonderful set of instrumentals that simmer and soar. Most listeners will have never uke like this; they likely won’t even recognize that what they’re hearing is a ukulele. And even when Skimabukuro explores other styles – funk, bluegrass, jazz, folk, flamenco and more – he always does it with style, creativity and wit. His supremely friendly, tuneful brand of music defies easy categorization, and his deep catalog features more than two dozen studio and live albums, including several created specifically for the Japanese market.

Primus
The worlds of alternative/indie and progressive rock coincide only rarely; the forms both lie just outside the musical mainstream, but share little else in common. But genre classifications mean little or nothing to Les Claypool and his band mates in Primus. Drawing from metal, funk and more, Primus combines technical mastery – these are some serious players – with a goofy, off-kilter worldview that suggests Dr. Demento crossed with Frank Zappa. Playful tunes like “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” from the trio’s 1995 album Tales from the Punchbowl exemplify their wacky yet musically ambitious approach to their craft (and the song actually chatted as a single, a rarity for an album-oriented outfit like Primus). The comedy never gets in the way of the band’s swing-for-the-fences compositional and arrangement aesthetics. There hasn’t been a new Primus album in eight years, but with a catalog that includes nine studio releases, there’s plenty from which to choose for entertaining live shows.

Collective Soul
Atlanta-based rock band Collective Soul rose to prominence in the early ‘90s with the breakout success of their debut album, Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. Against the backdrop of the music scene of that era, the band’s post-grunge approach fit in seamlessly with the alternative rock and late-period college rock movement. Starting out as an indie and self-producing their debut, the band attracted the attention of the majors. Thanks in part to nationwide exposure as Van Halen’s tour opener, the band’s second album went triple-Platinum. Subsequent albums didn’t match those impossibly high levels, but the group continued to release solid material. When their time on Atlantic Records came to an end, the label slapped together material from Collective Soul’s catalog and released 2001’s 7even Year Itch. In testament to the band’s enduring popularity, that record received a vinyl reissue in 2023. Meanwhile, Collective Soul has continued to make appealing rock albums, working with a lineup that has changed a bit while remaining true to its musical values. 2022’s Vibrating earned critical praise, and while 2024’s Here to Eternity didn’t dent the album charts, it’s yet another strong collection of original material.

Volbeat
Since launching in 2001, Copenhagen-based band Volbeat has had it both ways: the popular group has honed its brand of hard-rock (with elements of early, vintage rock ‘n’ roll) while appealing to an audience that extends well beyond rock fans. Few groups have been as successful as the Danish quartet at maintaining their musical integrity while continuing to grow their fan base decades into their careers. Guitarist Michael Poulsen started the band as a vehicle for his artistic inclinations that didn’t fit into the death metal he had been playing with his previous group. Recruiting like-minded musicians including drummer Jon Larsen, Poulsen developed a sound that carried forth the power and energy of metal, balancing that style with classic and timeless musical styles like blues, rockabilly and soul. Volbeat’s first seven albums all went Gold or Platinum in Denmark; immediately on its June 2025 release, God of Angels Trust soared to the #1 spot on charts in five countries, and at press time the album was rising on Billboard’s album chart in the U.S. as well.