Abramorama has acquired the rights to distribute Herb Alpert Is, a documentary that chronicles the life and career of the legendary trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder, Herb Alpert.
A spring theatrical release will kick off with a world premiere at the Grammy Museum May 5. Directed by John Scheinfeld (Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, The US vs John Lennon), the film profiles the multiple Grammy winner, whose most recent album, Over the Rainbow, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz and Contemporary Jazz album charts.
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Alpert has sold more than 72 million records, according to the documentary, including Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass’s 1965 classic Whipped Cream & Other Delights, known as much for the woman covered in whipped cream on its provocative album cover as such hits as “Whipped Cream” and “A Taste of Honey.”
At A&M, Alpert, now 84, discovered and/or worked with artists as diverse as The Carpenters, The Police, Janet Jackson, Peter Frampton and Cat Stevens. The movie also explores his work as an abstract painter and sculptor and his philanthropic support of arts programs nationwide.
In the trailer, which premieres below, fellow artists from Quincy Jones to Sting and Questlove expound on Alpert, who admits he could not enjoy his success in its height because he felt like just a number. “We were selling out these huge arenas in three minutes and at that point I realized, man, I’m rich, I’m famous, but I’m miserable,” he says.
“Herb is a true artist who did things the right way, achieved success on his own terms, and brought much joy to the world in the process,” Scheinfeld says. “I wanted to make a documentary that would reflect this and, most importantly, to be a ‘Feel Good’ film that will uplift, inspire and bring audiences together exactly as does Herb’s music.”
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Adds Abramorama CEO Richard Abramowitz, “It’s our great honor to celebrate the man who outsold The Beatles in 1966, then went on to co-found the most successful independent record label in history on his way to supporting artists and students young and old around the world. Herb Alpert is a renaissance man of the highest order; the only things greater than his many accomplishments are his gratitude and humility.”