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Herb Alpert's album Whipped Cream and Other Delights

The cover art isn't bad either.

The Tijuana Brass didn't have a tuba. It was a bass trombone. Bob Edmondson was the band's trombone player--I don't remember hearing the bass bone player listed. It's possible that he played both parts on an overdub.

You should be able to tell the difference between cylindrical bore instruments (such as trombone and trumpet) and conical bore instruments (such as tuba and euphonium). For example, on the Jackie DeShannon recording recording of "What the World Needs Now is Love," you can hear a definite euphonium solo. Since this was done by a pickup group for the recording, it was played by a trombone player who had to double on euphonium and looking for who was the player on that recording is next to impossible to find out.

Listen to the Tijuana Brass recording a few times and you can tell it's not a tuba. I remember listening to it when I was young--just a few years after it came out. I thought the same thing. I tried to play along with a 45 RPM recording I had of "Whipped Cream" and the timbre didn't seem right. That's when I knew it wasn't a tuba.

Are you positive? I only suspect tuba on one song (Butterball, I believe it is called) and can plainly discern trombone on the other songs. I know they did not have a full time tuba player but, theoretically, could hire one as needed.

I am certain. I remember Herb Alpert making a comment at this time that he had never employed a tuba player for any of his recordings with the Tijuana Brass. Maybe if it was a gig, it was different.

Do you think it could be possible that the trombonist played tuba for that one song? I've only got the LP to go on, so I could be wrong. It's just that this particular part sounds distinct from the rest of the obviously-trombone parts.

WAIT! I am changing my question. On the song "Tijuana Sauerkraut" there is, without question, a tuba playing. While the other part in question was a somewhat suspect sound, this one leaves no doubt. The song can be heard on their first album, The Lonely Bull.

So, that being said, who played tuba on this song?

EDIT: The song "Never on Sunday" from the same album also appears to use tuba.

Herb used other studio musicians on his recordings from time to time that were not in the touring group. If there was indeed tuba on one of the tracks it was most likely Tommy Johnson. They knew each other from their USC days.

Norm

Norm Pearson wrote:Herb used other studio musicians on his recordings from time to time that were not in the touring group. If there was indeed tuba on one of the tracks it was most likely Tommy Johnson. They knew each other from their USC days.

Norm

Excellent. Score another for the fabulous Mr. J.

LoyalTubist wrote:For example, on the Jackie DeShannon recording recording of "What the World Needs Now is Love," you can hear a definite euphonium solo. Since this was done by a pickup group for the recording, it was played by a trombone player who had to double on euphonium and looking for who was the player on that recording is next to impossible to find out.

That is a euphonium? That's a new on on me. I always thought that was a tuba. Live and learn I guess.

Cameron Gates wrote:

LoyalTubist wrote:For example, on the Jackie DeShannon recording recording of "What the World Needs Now is Love," you can hear a definite euphonium solo. Since this was done by a pickup group for the recording, it was played by a trombone player who had to double on euphonium and looking for who was the player on that recording is next to impossible to find out.

That is a euphonium? That's a new on on me. I always thought that was a tuba. Live and learn I guess.

On some of the teen dance shows on TV that came on at the time of that recording, they often had musicians performing the song live, with the same instruments used on the recording. The solo was played by a euphonium.

It was funny when they would be pretending to play with a recording. I will never forget when one show had the Carpenters were playing/singing "Close to You." When they got to the trumpet solo, the trumpeter's main tuning slide was taken out and inserted into only one tube.

This is a great thread. Recently, I listened to this tune and it brought back wonderful memories.

I was a 14 year old band nerd when this song became popular. I had just switched from tuba to euphonium in the Jr. high school band, and I thought it was pretty cool that a low brass instrument was featured on a pop song.

Honestly, I can't say for sure that it is a euphonium. I think it is, but sometimes, to me , it sounds like a small ( Eb/F) tuba.

But what it really sounds like to me these days is a euphonium with a large Schilke 60 type mouthpiece.

Wonderful song, and Jackie DeShannon's version is much better to me than Dionne Warwick's.