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The start of a legend – and the very first album by Sergio Mendes' Brasil 66 group, proudly brought to the world through the godlike talents of a young Herb Alpert! Sergio was no stranger to the recording studio by the time of this set, but the record marked a real shift in his music – a change from the mostly-instrumental bossa modes he first forged back in Brazil, and a shift to warmer, sweeter pop with a nice sunny California finish – done through unique production techniques and the group's trademark two-lady lead vocals! The sound is tremendous, and is possibly heard in its purest form here – simple, focused, and given that near-perfect A&M sound through Herb's production skills. Titles include the classics "Daytripper", "Aqua De Beber", "O Pato", "Berimbau", "Mas Que Nada", and "The Joker".

The start of a legend – and the very first album by Sergio Mendes' Brasil 66 group, proudly brought to the world through the godlike talents of a young Herb Alpert! Sergio was no stranger to the recording studio by the time of this set, but the record marked a real shift in his music – a change from the mostly-instrumental bossa modes he first forged back in Brazil, and a shift to warmer, sweeter pop with a nice sunny California finish – done through unique production techniques and the group's trademark two-lady lead vocals! The sound is tremendous, and is possibly heard in its purest form here – simple, focused, and given that near-perfect A&M sound through Herb's production skills. Titles include the classics "Daytripper", "Aqua De Beber", "O Pato", "Berimbau", "Mas Que Nada", and "The Joker".

A sweet Latin-styled set from trumpeter Herb Alpert – but one that's got a very different vibe than his faux Latin grooves of the 60s! The set here is done with key contributions from both Juan Carlos Calderon as a songwriter, and Jose Quintana as a producer – both talents who really help Herb reshape his groove in a mighty nice way! Backings are big, and somewhat smooth – as in the "Rise" era – but there's also some Latin jazz elements in the mix too, and an overall approach that isn't nearly as cluttered as you might expect for the time – with an especially strong emphasis on Herb's trumpet solos in the lead. The set was the first issued on the A&M Latin label – AyM Discos – and also features a bit of Spanish language vocals as well. Titles include "Fandango", "Route 101", "Angel", "Aria", "Sugarloaf", "Coco Loco", "Latin Medley", "California Blues", and "Push & Pull".

A whole new level of genius for Herb Alpert – a record that's light years away from his earlier work with the Tijuana Brass, and which has the trumpeter stepping strongly into the world of smooth jazzy fusion! The title track here went platinum the minute it was released – and became an end-of-the 70s instrumental anthem that seemed to drift out of speakers around the country. The rest of the album's pretty great too – built on the modes explored by Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, and other soulful fusion players of the 70s – but cast out with a bit more drama overall. Titles include the seminal jazz dance classic "Rotation" – plus "Rise", "Street Life", "Aranjuez (Mon Amour)", "1980", "Angelina", and "Love Is".

Trumpety magic from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – a record that's known not only for its classic cover of a model dipped in whipped cream, but also for it's tremendously groovy groove! The Tijuana sound is very firmly in place by the time of this set – Mexican-inspired, but compressed down into a sweet little LA groove in that magical A&M way – never too over the top, done in a way that takes a previously-hokey brassy sound, and smoothes it out for the Now Sound generation! Titles include the hit single "Whipped Cream", plus "Taste Of Honey", "Green Peppers", "Bittersweet Samba", "Lemon Tree", "Ladyfingers", and "Butterball".

An unusual version of this album – not the soundtrack, but a special radio promo, recorded on opening night – with interviews with Burt Bacharach and Jerry Orbach – plus snippets from other folks like Neil Simon, Herb Alpert, Sidney Lumet, Ben Gazzara, Milton Berle, and even Burt's parents!

Not the usual jazz outing from trumpeter Pete Candoli, and more an album of pop instrumentals, designed to cash in on the success of the big hit single "Moscow Mule"! (Pete didn't do the original version of that, right?) Tunes are short, jaunty, and use the trumpet in the kind of 60s pop way that was working big with Al Hirt and Herb Alpert – not as cool as Pete's 50s jazz work, but groovy enough if you're not looking for that. Titles include "Wild Turkey", "Rum & Coca Cola", "Moscow Mule", "Tequila", "Cool Green Grasshopper", and "Scotch & Soda".

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent group that features tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto handling arrangements – often in ways that have this upbeat, swinging, and pretty darn groovy way of moving along – sometimes with a bold Herb Alpert-styled trumpet in the lead – other times with a bit of marimba vibes. Titles include "Ashita Ni Nareba", "Akasaka After Dark", "You & Me", and "Ginza Wa Koi No Jujiro". The second half is handled by Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Plus All-Stars – a group that has an equally great A&M approach to the groove – thanks to arrangements from pianist Masao Yagi! The whole thing's a great illustration of the way that 60s Japanese jazzmen could also work in some groovy instrumental styles in the right setting – and titles include "One Rainy Night In Tokyo", "Omoide", "Goodbye Mr Tears", "Koi Wa Akaibara", and "Aitakute Aitakute".

Very groovy! This series never stops being great – and this 7th volume is a stunning set of mellow jazzy grooves, with kind of a slight 60s easy bent to them! The list of tracks is very nice, with many light lilting groovers – including a number with a good Brazilian feel to them. Titles include "Misturada" by Kjeli Ohman, "A Starlett For You" by Andre Luterau, "Samba Para Norma" by Joel Wanroogenbroek, "Summertime" by Herb Alpert, "We've Only Just Begun" by Frank Cunimondo Trio, "Take Seven" by Roger Roger, "Bim Bom" by Silvio Silvera, "Berimbau" by Americo Bellotto, and "Kidnapping" by Karlheinz Schafer. Nice cover, too!

Fantastically sweet pop from Chris Montez! Chris had a light little voice that was perfect for the A&M Records approach of the 60s – a style that has him singing gently over arrangements that glide and bounce around with ease, sometimes handled by Herb Alpert, in a breezy sunny LA mode that makes us want to be driving down Highway 101 with the top down, AM radio blasting out all of Chris' early singles at once! Chris' real genius here is the way that he takes standards and pop tunes – and, working with Herb, crafts them into a whole new sound – stripped down, streamlined, and perfect for the 60s! Titles include "One Note Samba", "The More I See You", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Call Me", "Hey Baby", and "Little White Lies". Also includes a whole bonus mono version of the album too!

One of Airto's most polished records, and an album that we've really grown to love over the years! There's a pretty strong modern soul/R&B component to the album – but at the core, there's still a strong feeling for Brazilian rhythms, and the record's got a wonderfully warm Brazilian fusion component. Marcos Valle arranged many of the tracks with Airto, and the record's similar to some of his excellent R&B-ish work from the early 80s, particularly the stuff he did after working with Leon Ware. Great players and singers on the sessions, too – including George Duke, Herb Alpert, Flora Purim and The Sweet Inspirations. Tracks include "Heartbeat", "Amajour", "Partido Alto", "Open Space", "Tempos Atras", and "And Then We Touched The Sky".