You Smile, the Song Begins

AMG Review of You Smile, the Song Begins

Richard S. Ginell
All Music Guide

His four-year sabbatical over, Herb Alpert returned to the studio creatively refreshed, his trumpet sounding more soulful and thoughtful, his ears attuned more than ever to jazz. The name of his studio group has been shortened to just the initials T.J.B., in whose ranks one hears the familiar mallets of Julius Wechter and the lazy trombone of Bob Edmondson, and the old Mexican flavors still come through now and then. But Alpert was definitely still in a pensive mood, and his evocative self-penned title track and choice of tunes like "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "Save the Sunlight" reinforce the LP's mellow, '70s contemporary pop atmosphere. Even the upbeat remake of the TJB's "Up Cherry Street" is filtered through a phase-shifted gauze, a wistful rose-colored vision of the past. Left over from a 1973 single is a terrific, subtle, Latin-jazz-tinged arrangement of "Last Tango In Paris," with a distinctive orchestral helping hand from Quincy Jones.