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SCOTT SIMON: Herb Alpert has a new album that brings together lessons he says he's learned from playing the trumpet for over 80 years, specifically those times in which he says, a-ha.
HERB ALPERT: I had problems playing the trumpet. I started stuttering through the instrument. I couldn't get the first note outright. So I met this trumpet teacher in New York City. His name was Carmine Caruso. And he was called The Troubleshooter. I said, Carmine, what am I doing wrong? He said, let me tell you something, kid, this trumpet is just a piece of plumbing. That's all it is. It's a series of pipes, and you're the instrument. That sound comes from deep within you.
(SOUNDBITE OF HERB ALPERT'S "DANCING DOWN 50TH STREET")
SCOTT SIMON: The album begins with a new song from Herb Alpert, "Dancing Down 50th Street."
HERB ALPERT: I wanted to, you know, start it off with a song that I wrote. I wrote this and it just feels good. It's upbeat. It's fun to listen to. And I'm not just going for a whoopee sound. I'm just going for the sound that touches me.
(SOUNDBITE OF HERB ALPERT'S "DANCING DOWN 50TH STREET")
HERB ALPERT: And I've always made music like that. I make music for myself, really. And if it feels good, I put it out. If it doesn't, I throw it away (laughter).
SCOTT SIMON: Your new album is titled "50," and you have a whole bunch of 50's going on now, don't you?
HERB ALPERT: Oh, it's an exciting time for me, Scott. I've been married 50 years. This is the 50th album. That caught me off guard. I didn't realize I had 50 albums in the can already. And in 2025, I'm going to be celebrating my -...