17 August 2016, No. 177, Herb Alpert, ‘Rise (Sophie Lloyd High Fives Edit)’

Until I got two copies of the Rise LP and used the little marimba intro in “Street Life” to learn to juggle, I thought of Herb Alpert only in the context of the schmaltzy Tijuana Brass. Turns out the stuff on the Rise LP is pretty funky. And whereas Notorious BIG’s “Hypnotize” slows the “Rise” samples down about six beats per minute, No. 177, “Rise (Sophie Lloyd High Fives Edit),” sees the tune cranked up about five beats per minute, stripped down to the non-trumpet-solo essentials (until the very end), and it adds some cavernous echo for a nice, spacey feel. Can’t get down if you don’t rise up first.