NickD

Well, folks, I'm back home from our extended family vacation. It was a neat time.

My son was buggin' the heck out of us to stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so as a treat for the soon to be high school freshman, we slipped off of I-80 on the way home and spent a few hours on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland on Wednesday.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for those of you who may not have ever been there before seems like a cross between a museum and a pinball arcade. The building is spectacular in architecture and the exhibits are, to put it mildly, colorful and loud. It is a lot of fun.

The actual presentation of the inductees is done with a huge, creative video presentation. It is pretty cool. Many of the acts are folks that I have played for as a free-lance Chicago area sideman. That was fun for my family.

I agreed with the inclusion of most of the inductees. There were a few, though, that brought out a "how the hell did THAT happen?" from me. Oh well!

What DID tick me off were several staggering omissions.

Herb Alpert - no mention
Blood, Sweat and Tears - no mention
Tower of Power - No Mention
Chicago - generates a lot of hits if one searches the site, but they also get no mention, to speak of

Now, the one that bothers me the most is Herb Alpert. He was not just a huge hit generator. He was the 'A' in A&M Records. How the heck did they miss THAT guy?

He is also a trumpeter (duh! - sorry) and he is the reason that I started playing trumpet in the first place. Even Miles Davis (if I'm not mistaken) was quoted as saying that "you only need to hear a couple of notes and you can immediately identify it as Herb Alpert and the TJB." I sure wish I could say that I created a truly unique sound.

Now, since this is a listserv for trumpeters, I am harping on the omission of Herb Alpert from the inductees list. I would LOVE to see a TRUMPET player in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! That would be really cool, IMHO.

The other bands bosted of some fine horn work and some fabulous trumpet playing. Chicago was HUGE! Now, perhaps, these bands will be inducted soon. However, Alpert has been around for over 40 years (I'm not sure when the Lonely Bull album came out, but I'm sure Herb meets the longevity requirements).

I am going to write a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation urging them to consider Herb Alpert for the next list of nominees. If you'd like to do the same, here's the address:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104

I think it would be pretty neat if they got a huge pile of letters from trumpeters all over the world urging them to include Alpert. I'm not sure how many trumpeters wold do this or even agree with me, but if you do, pass this on.

Peace.

Nick Drozdoff
http://www.mp3unsigned.com/NickDrozdoff.ASP
http://www.ampcast.com/NickDrozdoff
http://nickdrozdoff.blogspot.com

DaveH

I completely agree...

There has been a huge oversight, IMO, by not inducting Herb Alpert into the R&R Hall long ago...

IMO, Herb has been far more significant and influential and innovative than many of those who have already been enshrined.

I'll look into communicating with them also regarding Herb...

I'd like to know if you feel it is worth the price of admission? I live about 35 miles away and have never been there.

CJDJazzTpt

What about Bill Chase as well? I don't think he made it in to the Hall Of Fame yet or did he? His band was great. Plus he had an all trumpet horn section.