Last night we all seemed to be in a good mood. I think Ernie and I were a tad tired from the whole weekend but happily so. The house is a disaster (how the boys did that in 24 hours when they were mostly at someone else's home I have no idea) but it all felt good. The cool air was coming in the windows and I wandered around in the kitchen trying to cook something, admiring Minecraft texture packs for Leo every so often and listening to Ernie help Owen with his homework.
When Owen decided to play the trumpet my sister Debbie and I were kind of tickled because our sister Judi had played the trumpet in band. The band director tried to convince her to play the cornet—I guess because they felt it would be better for the size of her hands….but Leo may have gotten some of his stubborness from her as she just flatly said, "No, I want to play the trumpet." She probably stared at them with her big brown eyes as she said it—just as Leo does. You see…Herb Alpert played the trumpet and Judi LOVED Herb Alpert. My parents took her to see him when he played Arlington Park Racetrack in 1968. I just vaguely remember there being great excitement in the household about it. My parents were very good about understanding our passions—-they took a slightly hysterical Debbie to see her idol Sherrill Milnes, took me to meet Lowell Innes when I was sixteen…and Judi to see Herb Alpert. That's why the other day, after I went to the Ian Hunter signing I desperately wanted to call my Mom and tell her I'd met Ian Hunter. I can just hear her. She would have said, "Oh honey, that's WONderful!"
I assumed Ernie had the classic Whipped Cream Herb Alpert album…for god's sake he's got some 10,000 albums and there are stacks of them in every used record store. When I bugged him about it though he said he didn't have it so I promptly ordered it. It came while we were gone so last night I put it on as I was cooking. Soon enough I could hear that Owen had his trumpet out as it bleated along with the album.
I can not tell you how happy it made me. Ernie laughed at me as I bobbed to the music.
Judi would be pleased.
I still own, and often play this cassette at home….still makes ya feel great!
To say nothing about the cover art of that album!!! dang!!
ha, I thought you meant an Ian Hunter remix album and thought HUH? I went to a signing at a record on Saturday and stared at him like an idiot. God, hes glorious. Check back a post or two…
Still have all of Herb’s albums. Cornet vs Trumpet used to be a big deal since Sousa’s band was all cornets. Some Band Directors maintained a dislike for trumpets due , probably, to their Jazz popularity. Currently there seems to be an interest in C trumpets maybe due to the “Christian Music” scene.
I loved Herb Alpert- even though I actually played a cornet. I remember playing Taste of Honey and Tangerine. But, I think my favorite jazz band number was Peter Gunn.