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There used to be a great show on NPR called “The Dinner Party Download,” in which the hosts interview celebrities running the gamut from Michael Shannon to Lars Ullrich. And one interview I particularly enjoyed was with musician Herb Alpert, who, at 88, just performed a concert last week in the Twin Cities.
After finding success as leader of The Tijuana Brass in the 1960s, trumpeter Alpert scored several instrumental hits in the 70s and 80s. He’s also the “A” in A&M records and signed such diverse bands as The Police, The Go Gos, Soundgarden and Soul Asylum. Alpert himself acknowledges he didn’t always “get” the music that made his label successful, until he tried a trick he learned from his mentor – soul singer Sam Cooke. He began listening to music with his eyes closed and, as Alpert puts it, started to loosen up.
While my own trumpet career ended after 6th grade and I have no immediate plans to become a record label executive, I can relate to Alpert’s efforts to help shape his perceptions. One recent Sunday morning, I decided to live life on the edge and alter the direction in which I go around Lake Harriet on my runs. I turned left instead of right; that was all it took.
Maybe it was because the water was now on my right side instead of my left but I felt realigned – like I’d been to a spiritual chiropractor. The run literally felt different and I noted landmarks and milestones that obviously were there all along but I never noticed. And most importantly, what had started to become routine began to feel enjoyable again.
Sometimes you don’t know what you’ll see until you open, or close, your eyes.
shishkabobgirldad 