Since 2005 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place.

I’ve seen hundreds of concerts, maybe thousands, and one of my favorites of all time was this past summer: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass played the Harris Theater on their first tour in 35 years, celebrating the 60th anniversary of their album Whipped Cream & Other Delights . Still spry at 90, Alpert danced and blew impeccable trumpet solos, and his wife, supple-voiced singer Lani Hall, made an appearance as well.

This was a moving surprise, because Hall has been debilitated by the Epstein–Barr virus since the 80s. Though she’s a decade younger than Alpert, she needed a

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