Mexicali Brass
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Closely related to the mod sound of the 1960s is Mexicali Brass. Herb Alpert's sound, however suspect, had as much of an impact on record history as any type of music. In fact, the notorious jacket for Whipped Cream & Other Delights probably gave that album more inadvertant listeners than any other. In any case, every budget label had to cash in on the trend, and hundreds of mostly awful imitation acts sprang up over night. Ray Martin's Living Brass series has its moments on nearly every LP, and Ruben Rodriguez & his Guadalajara Kings sometimes reached the point of hipness. Mexicali brass at its best is loose and brash, like a great mariachi band toward the end of a wedding reception. Built on the same "big beat" as mod, Mexicali brass sometimes goes the extra mile with fuzz-tone guitar, car honks, and boisterous interjections ("Tequila!"). Latin rock at a beach party with margaritas is the idea. Buying: Collecting Mexicali Brass LPs is the surest way to lose all respect, even in irony. If you must indulge this guilty pleasure, at least stick to the ones that look funny. |
Mexicali Brass LPs
| Rating | |
| [Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; A&M] | |
| 6 | The American Patrol; Warner Bros. WS-1653 (James Last!) |
| 3 | Chet Baker & the Mariachi Brass: [all] |
| 3 | The Brass Beed: Mod Mod Brass; Wyncote W-9200 |
| 6 | The Bravado Brass: Brass Busters; Power/Apple Honey Series DS-411 |
| 3 | The Chihuahua Marimba Band; Premier PS-9005 |
| 4 | Roy Etzel, The Blue Trumpet of: Spanish Brass; MGM SE-4349 |
| 3 | The Fantabulous Brass: A Taste of Honey & Other Mariachi Hits; MGM/Metro MS-575 |
| 4 | The Fiesta Brass: Viva Tijuana!; Columbia/Harmony HS-11183 |
| 1 | The Guadalajara Brass: [all]; Premier |
| 6 | Joe Leahy: Tabasco & Trumpets; Capitol/Tower T-5014 |
| 7 | The Living Brass: Mexican Shuffle; RCA Camden CAS-907; 1965 (arr. Ray Martin) |
| 7 | The Living Brass: What Now My Love & Other Favorites; RCA Camden CAS-996; 1966 |
| 6 | The Living Brass: In a Little Spanish Town; RCA Camden CAS-2114; 1967 |
| 6 | The Living Brass: That's Life; RCA Camden CAS-2143; 1967 |
| 6 | The Living Brass: Mexico Lindo; RCA Camden CAS-2197; 1968 |
| 7 | Jack de Mello & the Waikiki Brass Visit Tijuana; Dot DLP-25887 |
| 1 | The Mexicali Brass: [all]; Crown |
| 5 | Vic Mizzy: The Caper of the Golden Bulls ST; Tower ST-5086 |
| 2 | The Monterey Brass: [all]; Diplomat |
| 5 | Chips Murphie & his Border Brass: This is Tijuana Country; Pickwick SPC-3051 |
| 4 | Pancho Purcell & his Bambuco Players: Bambuco Moves In; Columbia CS-9343 |
| 6 | Chaquito: The Big, Big Sound of Chaquito; Contour 6870.598; 1970 (compilation; altar ego of John Gregory) |
| 5 | Ruben Rodriguez & his Guadalajara Kings; Liberty LST-7454 |
| 6 | Ruben Rodriguez & his Guadalajara Kings: Tequila & Cream; Liberty LST-7466 |
| 6 | Ruben Rodriguez & his Guadalajara Kings: Too Much Tequila; Liberty LST-7489 |
| 6 | Ted Sommer: Percussive Mariachi; Solid State SS-18012; 1967 |
| 7 | Al Tijuana & his Jewish Brass; Capitol ST-2596; 1966 (Artie Butler, Bob Booker, George Foster) |
| 6 | The Trumpets Ole; Decca DL-74821 |
| 5 | The Trumpets Ole: Con Mucho Gusto; Decca DL-74911 |
| 3 | The Trumpets Unlimited: Sounds Tijuana!; Design/Nouveau DLP-275 |
| 6 | Uncredited: Col. Sanders' Tijuana Picnic; Mark 56 543 |
| 3 | Uncredited: Acme Markets Presents Tijuana Taxi; Mark 56 |
| 5 | Uncredited: Pet Ice Cream Presents Tijuana Today, Vol. 2; Mark 56 545 |
| 7 | Various: Light & Easy; NFL Music Library NFL-101; 1977 (mexicali/funky rock/space-electronic) |
| 4 | Various: Mexican Brass--Happy Hits with a Happy Beat; RCA Victor Custom for Reader's Digest (5-LP box) |
Partly Mexicali-Brass LPs
| Rating | |
| 6 | Al Caiola: Tuff Guitar Tijuana Style; United Artists UAS-6473 |
| 6 | The Fabulous Echoes: Breakin' It Up at Dukes!; Warner Bros. WS-1695 (live in Hawaii; "Malaguena Salerosa") |
| 4 | Jonah Jones: Tijuana Taxi; Decca DL-74765 |
| 4 | Jonah Jones: Jazz Tropical!; Decca DL-74918 |
| 4 | Liberace: New Sounds; Dot DLP-25755 |
| 7 | Carlos Malcolm: Don't Walk, Dance!; Roulette SR-25359; c.1964 (mod/Latin/calypso soul/jazz/Mexicali) |
| 6 | Johnny Mandel: Harper ST; Mainstream S-6078 ("Mexican Breakfast") |
| 7 | Gary McFarland: The In Sound; Verve V6-8632; 1965 |
| 7 | James Moody: Don't Look Away Now!; Prestige PRST-7625; 1969 (Eddie Jefferson on "Hey Herb! Where's Alpert?") |
| 8 | Felix Morton: Big & Brassy/Peter Gordon: Light & Easy; Bosworth BLP-140; 1975 (soul-jazz horns, mod funk, mexicali) |
| 7 | Takeshi Onodera & Los Onoderas; Nivico/Stereocolor YS-5008 (mod Latin jazz percussion/Mexicali) |
| 6 | Pancho Purcell & his Bambuco Players: Bambuco Moves In; Columbia CS-9343 |
| 5 | Jimmy Sedlar: Movie Hits of '66; Kapp KS-3467; 1966 |
| 8 | Ozzie Torrens & his Exciting Orchestra: Boogaloo in Apartment 41; Decca DL-74830 ("Tijuana Grass"; w/Louie Ramirez, Manny Duran, Charlie Palmieri, Manny Corchado..) |
| 4 | Various: Dr. Goldfoot & the Girl Bombs ST; Capitol/Tower ST-5053 ("Dr. Goldfoot's Igloo") |
| 6 | Various: Henry's Happy Sound (Heinz Hötter)/Links Electronic (The Leo Hassler Synthesizer)/Easy Listening/Modern Movement (Erwin Lehn); Bosworth BLP-131 (production/Moog/Mexicali) |
[Partly] Mexicali-Brass 45s
| Rating | |
| 5 | Ray Barretto & the Conquistadores: Viva Maria/What Have They Done to the Sun?; Ascot 2202 |
| 7 | The Tijuana Brats: Karate Chop/Yakety Brats; RCA Victor 47-9666 |
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