Cinco de Mayo & Other Delights with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

The ever-increasing popularity of Cinco de Mayo may be due to the growing Mexican population in the US, but more likely, it's because two drinking-oriented holidays per year (New Year's & St. Paddy's Day) just weren't cutting it. I don't know anyone who washes down a Chimichanga with six shots of Cuervo because 150 years later they're still so jazzed about Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla.

Since Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday un falso, what better way to celebrate than with some of the folso-est Mexican music ever created? Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass whipped up an intoxicating, super-sexy instrumental salsa fresca sound that was the soundtrack to countless key parties in the late 1960s.

In this day and age of Justin Bieber and The Black Eyed Peas, it's hard to fathom this collection of bellhop-attired Spanish-American band geeks topping the charts, but they did, again and again. In this promotional video from 1966, which features "Tijuana Taxi," " The Lonely Bull," "A Taste of Honey" and "Zorba the Greek," they even emulate The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, running from their fans into a getaway car, only in this case, there don't seem to be any fans.


In addition to being un hombre de trumpet muy caliente, Herb Alpert was also one of the savviest music moguls of his era, he being the "A" in A&M Records. Million-selling members of the A&M stable included the Captain & Tennille, Styx, Supertramp, Peter Frampton, Squeeze, Joe Jackson, Janet Jackson and The Police.

And while the Tijuana Brass' music has acquired more than a bit of camp over the years, it's still ideal for downing margaritas and a bowl of chips and salsa on your deck or rooftop. It should also be noted that the group was responsible for perhaps the greatest LP cover of all time, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. You're welcome.

Now let's go out with HA&TB's ode to the 60s version of a roofie, "Spanish Flea," which appropriately enough, was also the theme to that swinginest of game shows, The Dating Game. Happy Cinco de Mayo!