When I was a wee laddie, my dad bought a Herb Alpert album. I liked the music, and decided I was going to play the trumpet. I took lessons and practiced for 5 years. Making a recording and playing it back, forced me to accept that I had no talent whatsoever for trumpet playing. But I did learn how great a trumpet play Herb Alpert was. His control and tone and musicality is stunning. I could never hope to play like that, but I could enjoy his music and bought all of his albums.

Sometimes I'll play one of his songs to a friend, and gush a bit on how good Alpert played. My friends would invariably look at me in puzzlement. They simply didn't know enough about the trumpet to see the skill and virtuoso genius in his playing.

I've never heard another trumpet player play the instrument that well.