Herb Alpert to release new album, ‘Over the Rainbows,’ on Sept. 20

The legendary and Grammy-winning musician, producer, creator and artist, Herb Alpert, will release his new album, titled Over The Rainbow, on September 20, 2019. The album will feature twelve songs, with one original track, and the others a mix of classic and well-known interpreted tunes performed in Alpert’s unique way of delivery.

Pre-order for the album begins today, July 24, and the first single, “Skinny Dip,” is available as an instant download when you pre-order on iTunes and/or Amazon. The second single, “Fantasy,” will be available on August 23. The pre-order link for Alpert’s Over The Rainbow is here.

Known as one of the world’s most renowned and celebrated trumpet players, Alpert shares in a press release that “this project started like all of the other albums that I have recorded throughout the years, including the Tijuana Brass projects. I am always looking for good melodies to play and if it is a familiar song that I am working on, I’ll try to do it in a way that it’s never been heard before. When choosing songs, I look for something that makes you feel good, I have learned to become an audience to my own music and listen to what creates feelings that stop and call you.”

Over The Rainbow was recorded at both Alpert’s studio, and at famed Grammy winning and multi-nominated engineer, arranger and mixer, Jochem van der Saag’s studio in eight months. The album features a roster of pop, classic and international hits that are familiar to all ages, including “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Over The Rainbow,” “Copacabana,” You Are So Beautiful” and “What A Wonderful World,” among others.

Reflecting on the choice of songs for the new release, Alpert says, “Original songs must have a melody that is fun for me to play, like ‘Skinny Dip,’ a little quirky, but fun. It’s always a bit dangerous to tackle a song like “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” that has the iconic Judy Garland recording (and many other great recordings,) but I like this version and the way that it starts with Michael Shapiro singing part of the opening refrain and the beautiful orchestration by Eduardo del Barrio.”

“The song ‘Nature Boy’ arranged by Jochem Van der Saag, is also close to my heart, having personally known and spent some interesting times with the composer, Eden Abez, who lived his life as the real nature boy. ‘All Love,’ was written by Babik Reinhart, a beautiful tribute to his incredibly talented father, Django Reinhardt, who had his own, unique, Gypsy guitar style. ‘You Are So Beautiful,’ is how I feel about my wife and ‘angel,’ Lani.

‘Always on my Mind,’ was taking a chance on a familiar country song that just feels good to me in its new setting as an instrumental and ‘Fantasy,’ is a song that I’ve always liked that was written by Maurice White and Eduardo Del Barrio and also arranged by Eduardo. ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ is that iconic recording by Bill Withers and I tried to put the Herb Alpert spin on it, with Hussain Jiffry singing along with my wife, Lani Hall.

‘Wonderful World,’ is a tribute to the great, Louis Armstrong. My intention was not to cover his record, but to show how it had an international impact and to highlight the power of music as a tool to help us understand each other and bring more light into the world, so that peace will have a much better chance to survive.”

Some of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’ fourteen Top 40 singles include; “The Lonely Bull,” “Mexican Shuffle,” “Spanish Flea,” GRAMMY®-winners “A Taste Of Honey” and “What Now My Love,” and the #1 hits “This Guy’s In Love With You” and “Rise.” In 2016 the Herb Alpert Presents record label released 30 deluxe re-masters of the entire TJB catalogue plus all of Herb’s solo albums from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s. In all, Alpert has recorded over forty albums and produced for many other artists, including Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, Stan Getz, Michel Colombier, Gato Barbieri and Alpert’s wife, GRAMMY winning vocalist Lani Hall, to name a few.

Over The Rainbow will available on all digital outlets on September 20, 2019.

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