Herb Alpert is a fearless creator.

During times in which the arts have been stunted by a worldwide pandemic, the renowned Grammy Award-winning artist and philanthropist has continued to sculpt, paint and record original music and share it with the world.

When his organic conscious daughter was moving into her new home, Alpert created a housewarming painting made with real organic coffee. This inspired a series of paintings by Alpert that feature beautiful swirls of coffee swept across the canvas — now on display at Heather James Fine Art as an exclusive online exhibition through June 30.

In addition, Alpert and his wife, singer Lani Hall, have continued to give back to the arts and to those in need through the Herb Alpert Foundation. The couple have spent the Covid-19 lockdown relaxing, cooking, and recording music together in their Malibu home.

What is the process of creating your unique coffee paintings?

HA: Well, it’s like everything else. It’s like making music, sculpting, or painting with acrylics. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing until I do it. And then it kind of starts giving me answers as I’m going along, then it kind of paints itself.

And your daughter inspired these creations?

HA: Well, she didn’t know it at the time, but yeah, she was moving into a new facility and she’s an organic person and I thought I’d do something that would be kind of off the wall and different. I first started painting with organic coffee and I realized I was having fun doing it. And I came up with a nice conclusion for the first painting. Then little by little, I started just doing other paintings and finally got off of the organic coffee, ’cause there’s no difference in the way the regular coffee seeps into a canvas. So, the coffee paintings are not organic anymore

They’re beautiful. You’ve obviously always been a creator, but it seems throughout this pandemic, you’ve really made a lot of new art and creations.

HA: Yeah, I have over a thousand paintings. I just paint and sculpt and make music just to stay healthy. Cause it’s my way of feeling like I’m a part of something. I’m an introvert, so it’s easy for me to be at home and do those things.

Does anything intimidate you when it comes to art?

HA: Hmm I don’t know if intimidation would be the word. I think people that are not kind to others intimidates me. That’s about it.

Will you be releasing new music any time soon?

HA: I have over 20 things that I’ve recorded since the pandemic actually. So I’m going to weed those out and, you know, do whatever I can to make the music that makes me feel good because when I do that, I feel I’m alive.

I heard that you and Lani have been making dinners together throughout the lockdown.

HA: Oh she’s been cooking. She’s really turned in to a really good chef. She also sings, so we did a couple of songs together. One song I actually arranged to help her to record. It’s one of the songs from ‘Rent’ that she always likes. So I surprised her with a track and then she put her voice on. She had a great time and that’s what I was hoping for.

Wow. Will you be releasing that?

HA: It’ll probably be released. Yeah.

So, what’s on the horizon besides your current virtual coffee painting exhibit?

HA: Well, we had to cancel all our concerts. We were scheduled to do 50 concerts in 2020. We had to cancel everything. We were going through Canada and the UK. We were playing at a famous jazz club in London and places around the United States. So we had to cancel all that and postpone it to the year 2021. And even with that, I’m a little reluctant, because we’re not going anyplace, unless the virus is totally under control.

I know that you and I have talked about the ups and downs of the arts since the pandemic started. The last time we talked was in the summer, and you had doubled your foundation’s awards for artists. What are your plans this year?

HA: Next awards is going to be a little different because we’re not going to double it. We’re going to take the monies that would have been doubled and share it around organizations that are helping people that are less fortunate.

Any specific organizations?

HA: Well, the food banks for sure. LA Food Bank here is really helping a lot of people. And then there’s this other organization called Chrysalis and they help wayward people find new jobs and dress them up and give them an opportunity to fend for themselves.

That’s so wonderful. You seem to always be on this continuous mission to contribute good things to our world.

HA: I think we all should do that. I think that’s part of the deal of being a human being. I don’t know. It doesn’t sound unusual to me. It just sounds like something we all should be doing.

What would you like to tell the world right now?

HA: Let’s all be kind to each other. Kindness is contagious.

For more info on the Herb Alpert Coffee Paintings online exhibition, visit: https://www.heatherjames.com/exhibitions/herb-alpert-the-coffee-paintings/

Or visit: herbalpertart.com

The post Herb Alpert brews unique coffee paintings for online exhibit appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Despite the lockdown, the Herb Alpert Foundation and CalArts will host the 26th annual Herb Alpert Award in the Arts — virtually, of course — which provides five unrestricted $75,000 grants to independent artists working in dance, film/video, music, theatre and visual art. This year’s online awards presentation will be held on Friday, May 22 at 2 p.m.

Over the course of 26 years, the Awards have granted $8 million to working artists, making Alpert and wife Lani Hall one of the most influential and fiercest supporters of arts and arts education. I had the honor to chat with the always insightful and wonderfully engaging Alpert about why this award is more important than ever, his current projects, and what art means to him.

We’ve talked before and it’s always just such a pleasure, Herb. The last time we spoke you actually even had your trumpet in hand and played a little for me.

Well, I still have it on hand here. This is what I do. I play the trumpet, I record, I paint and I sculpt and that’s me all the time. 

So how have you been spending all of that creative energy during the lockdown? 

Well, I’ve been recording. I have a recording facility in my studio here and so I’ve been recording. And I’ve painted more pictures that I know what to do with, and I’ve also been sculpting.  I’m a right-brained guy. And this is why I love the arts so much. I think the soul of our country is shaped by our artists. And not just musicians, but actors and poets and dancers and everybody. We need them. Especially at this time. We need the arts. I mean, the artists are our second responders. They’re the people that keep us buoyant and keep us feeling, and that is so crucially important. That’s why Herb Alpert Awards are a part of it, but just a small part of it. We’ve got to get everybody to get on board, especially the politicians where they feel like the arts are dispensable. 

That’s a very good point. There seems to be a current divide between the essential and nonessential society right now, with artists and entertainers in the non-essential category. 

Yeah. Unfortunately they should be next in line. I mean, we need the first responders. They’re the ones that keep us alive. But the second responders are the ones that give us hope. That’s what we need. That’s why we need the artists, I believe. It’s a different time. Hopefully there’s an end. I don’t know if there’s an end in sight, but there’s an end someplace.

Something I find really interesting with the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts is that it supports mid-career artists, while so many foundations and charities support students or up-and-comers. Why is this important to you? 

I always look to honor the artists that go for the road less traveled, you know, the ones that are pushing it a little differently in a more experimental way. I think those are the real artists. Those are the ones that they don’t care whether you like it or not. They’re going to be doing their thing, and they are not doing it for the money. They’re doing it for their soul, for their art form. I mean that’s their passion. So I tend to gravitate towards those people. And you know my story; I had this opportunity when I was eight years old and I’ve been blessed way beyond my dreams, and it gives me pleasure to be able to help pass it on. 

What is the “it factor” for an award recipient?

Oh, well that’s a good question. It’s different for every artist, but everyone has their own idea of what art is and who’s great and who’s not. It’s very personal. But we try to bring together great people to make those decisions. I’m not involved in the decisions at all. Intentionally. But we have really qualified people that help guide us and I believe in their choices.

Have you checked in or kind of kept an eye out on various past award recipients?

Well, not really actually. I mean, overall I have, but this is our 26th year. So there’s a lot of artists out there; some have done really well, some are still looking for their spot in the sun. But it’s all worth it, because I think art plays such an important part in our society. I’m just one of many that feel the same. And unfortunately our politicians seem like they don’t get it for the most part. I’m not saying all of them, but a lot of them just don’t think that the arts are worth investing in. And some of the larger corporations are also kind of dialing down with the arts at this moment. Unfortunately it seems like they have other priorities. But I see priority number two for me is making sure we keep art alive. I’m not only talking about jazz and music; I’m talking about painting and sculpting and acting and dancing and singing and everything that has to do with the arts.

How has the current pandemic situation helped or hindered artists?

Well, it’s definitely hindered our artists. I mean there’s so many artists that were relying on doing live concerts and working with other bands and earning a living that way. And now they’re in a bit of a struggle. A lot of artists are not as active as they would like to be sadly. 

In your opinion, especially in our current pandemic situation, how do artists recover and keep the arts thriving? 

Well, that’s a really good question. You’re talking about the unknown. I don’t know how long this is going to last. We need some different leadership that would help people to respond to how great and how important it is to have the arts in our lives. I know what we’re trying to do is keep our communities alive, and we try to get into communities that are often overlooked and underserved. So the crisis has really shown a light on the inequities that have plagued our society for decades. So it’s a problem. I hope maybe there’ll be some different understanding when we get out of this of what we need to do; there’s some new things to think about. It’s really interesting. The times they are a-changin’. Bob Dylan said that. They really are changing. They’re changing dramatically. And unless we get on board, we’re going to be in trouble.

Have you ever experienced fear in your own career?

Oh yeah, fear is part of an artist’s repertoire. That’s what you do. That’s what art is all about. That’s what good art is all about. You know, you’re always wondering whether you can rise to the occasion, whether you’re playing jazz or standing in front of a blank canvas or creating something with clay. The fear is, do I know what I’m doing? Can I come up with something worth looking at? And I think fear is part of the repertoire of an artist. Cause there’s the unknown. That’s the thing that is so inspiring about art. It’s seductive because the arts are a mystery; you can’t put your finger on it. You can’t put your finger on what you like about it, or what you don’t like about it. 

When you think of all the great songs and things that have been written through the years in the Western lexicon, there’s 12 notes. Everyone has those same 12 notes. Mozart had those notes. Beethoven had those notes. Thelonious Monk had those notes. Charlie Parker had those notes. You know what I’m saying? It’s a great mystery of how do you get all these different combinations out of 12 notes? You can’t figure it out, even if you try to analyze it. And there are people that have tried to analyze it, but you can’t, because it’s in that other special place that has to do with feelings. And that’s why art is so important.

For more information, go to https://herbalpertawards.org/

2020 The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts Winners

MUSIC — Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

FILM/VIDEO — Sky Hopinka 

DANCE — Karen Sherman

THEATRE — Phil Soltanoff 

VISUAL ARTS — Firelei Baez

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