Lani Hall Alpert - Emotional Memoirs And Short Stories
by Lisa Torem
published: 24 / 4 / 2019
intro
In her 'Raging Pages' book column Lisa Torem finds jazz singer and musician Lani Hall Alpert distilling hard-scrabble Chicago life, debilitating illness, crummy therapists, disoriented hitchhikers and more in her first book 'Emotional Memoirs and Short Stories'.
“I’d come home to a rush of radiator heat and wait for my fingers and face to thaw so that I could sing. I was a closet singer back then.” The prelude to 'Come Rain or Come Shine', singer Lani Hall Alpert’s first story in 'Emotional Memoirs', where a harsh Chicago winter and the city’s encapsulating light reveal as much about the then-teen singer as her fragile, self-conscious state, is magical and especially poignant. The reader will immediately connect, as each of the following ten stories are also prefaced with such a truth. And as for the ten, some are based on Lani’s astoundingly vivid and frank observations and others from her on-the-ledge imagination. But perhaps, 'Come Rain or Come Shine', is the most wrenching. Here, Lani waltzes back to her confusing childhood in Chicago’s working-class, late 1950’s Albany Park neighborhood and lingers on her relationship with Jackie, the older woman for whom she babysits, and at first, worships. “Every other word that came out of her mouth was slang,” is how the author describes Jackie’s verbal expression. And she vividly backs up her claim that “Jackie was cool.” Instead of writing air mail on an envelope to her lover, she’d write “Fly it.” As a curious, thirteen-year-old bystander, Lani, too, stands in awe of Jackie’s pre-work routine. “She would outline her dark eyes with sweeping strokes of black pencil” and “tease her jet-black hair until it bubbled out.” As the story progresses, Lani is forced to face sobering adult issues. Heroin addicts make themselves at home in Jackie’s living room, remaining oddly out-of-view of Lani’s mother and father, despite the fact that the two families shared the same back porch. Still, Lani describes Jackie’s apartment as her “sanctuary” because “There were nightly fights at my house about money or school or things I didn’t understand.” This visceral story doesn’t end where one might think it would — Lani adds a twist in the form of a fascinating epilogue, where, again, she reveals much about her own character and remarkable sense of loyalty. Other stories, such as ‘Mr. Belmont,’ are set in a bustling train station, where Sarah, the flirty protagonist, fantasises about a handsome, blonde businessman she encounters during the work week: “His long legs moved like slow music,” she muses. Despite being married, Sarah refuses to leave well enough alone—she pursues the stranger and soon finds herself spinning out ofcontrol. After this rendering of ‘Mr. Belmont,’ Lani speaks directly to the reader, again, but this time, she describes a uniquely Chicago-based experience, riding the train to the end of the line, just to take in the experience. As that antiquated train lurched forward and back, it stopped just long enough for Lani to spot, “sun-dried clothes suspended from laundry lines…” or “mothers sitting on stoops, wiping clean their children’s sticky fingers.” Lani plays giftedly with time, first whisking us by virtue of female fantasy and then grounding us, amid the clatter of a heaving, elevated vehicle. ‘The Ringing Bells,’ in contrast, takes place past the Pacific Coast Highway. Eve leaves home, fattens up the gas tank, bends to Conway Twitty, and against her better judgment, picks up a hitchhiker, Angie. The two women develop an easy-going rapport, but just as quickly, they’re forced to contend with harrowing calamity. Expertly, Lani steers the reader through a series of suspenseful events; the ending is an absolute shocker. The themes in ‘Emotional Memoirs and Short Stories’ are plentiful. Lani deftly juggles a variety of tough topics: suicide, genocide, horrific therapists and the onset of a debilitating disease. And, as implied earlier, her personal insights serve as a bridge to connect both fictional and nonfictional accounts. As a bonus, the book has a soul mate. An accompanying CD features Lani’s spoken-word version of each story along with musical embellishments. The compelling trumpet arrangements by her husband, Herb Alpert, appear to be multi-purpose, serving as passionate punctuation and divine counterpoint to Lani’s heartfelt, female-driven, confessionals. Grammy-winning Lani Hall’s musical legacy includes being lead singer with Sergio Mendes’ Brasil ’66 as well as the recording of twelve solo albums in three, different languages. 'Emotional Memoirs and Short Stories' reflects a unique side to her distinctive personality and is a result of a 30-year, introspective journey. Set aside time for this gem. Honestly, you won’t put this one down.
Also In Raging Pages
Beatles (2022)
Benjamin Orr (2018)
Bernard Purdie (2015)
Billy Bragg (2017)
Billy J. Kramer (2016)
Bob Boilen (2016)
Bob Dylan (2018)
Bob Marley (2019)
Brian Wilson (2017)
Byrds (2024)
Clive Davis (2015)
Common (2020)
Damned (2021)
Don Short (2020)
Donovan (2022)
Elliott Murphy (2019)
Elvis Costello (2015)
Felix Cavaliere (2022)
Frank Sinatra (2023)
Frank Zappa (2017)
Gary Wright (2014)
Gene Simmons (2015)
Geoff Emerick (2018)
George Harrison (2022)
George Martin (2019)
Graham Nash (2023)
Ian Mclagan (2016)
Iron Maiden (2014)
Jann Wenner (2019)
Jerry Lee Lewis (2015)
Jerry Nolan (2018)
Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick (2019)
Jimmy Webb (2022)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith) (2014)
John Lennon (2017)
Kinks (2014)
Laurence Juber (2014)
Liberty DeVitto (2021)
Lisa Robinson (2021)
Lita Ford (2021)
Little Anthony (2014)
Louise Harrison (2015)
Luke Haines (2024)
Manic Street Preachers (2017)
Mary Wilson (2021)
Michael Bloomfield (2020)
Michael Dorf (2019)
Miscellaneous (2014)
Ozzy Osbourne (2014)
Pamela Des Barres (2017)
Paul McCartney (2020)
Peter Doherty (2014)
Renee Rosen (2018)
Richard Balls (2018)
Rick Wakeman (2023)
Ringo Starr (2015)
Robby Krieger Band (2022)
Roger Daltrey (2020)
Rolling Stones (2016)
Ronnie Wood (2015)
Roy Bond (2023)
Sam Phillips (2018)
Sean Madigan Hoen (2014)
Silas House (2020)
Spencer Vignes (2017)
Spirit (2023)
Suzi Quatro (2023)
Sylvain Sylvain (2018)
Thin Lizzy (2016)
Tommy James (2021)
Tori Amos (2020)
U2 (2021)
Who (2014)
Will Romano (2015)
Woody Woodmansey (2018)
Zz Top (2014)
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPIn Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #5 - ‘We all have good intentions/ But all with strings attached’: Music and Mental Health Part 2
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Allan Clarke - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Madeline Bell - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Sound - Interview with Bi Marshall Part 1
Jimmy Nail - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesBill Wyman - Drive My Car
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Philip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Deep Purple - =1
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Jules Winchester - The Journey
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Popstar - Obscene
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart