Tag: Esquivel

Rewind Review: Esquivel – More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds (1962)

Somewhere between the late 1950s and the mid-1960s was an aesthetic of design that was known as the “space age bachelor pad.” It was partially inspired by James Bond films, speculation on a glorious, automated future that was to come after World War Two ended, and thrilling adventures in space exploration.

Of course, if you were going to live in a space age bachelor pad, you needed space age music to play on your hi-fi stereo, and that’s where Esquivel entered the scene. More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds is the sequel to 1958’s Other Worlds, Other Sounds, which blew people’s minds back then. More does the same with blends of Latin jazz, big band swing, beautiful piano work, and plenty of odd sounds that come out of nowhere.

“The Breeze and I (Andalucia)” is almost a John Barry Bond movie theme (Dig those horns!), but Barry is happily drunk and goofing around in the studio. The weird hand percussion and surf guitar on “Chant to the Night” are trippy compliments to the great trumpet playing on it. “Canadian Sunset” builds to a thrilling point and then drifts into comfortable warmth (or is it cool dark?).

“Street Scene” has plenty of low-end piano bass to get you prowling, while the middle keys provide sultry glances from across the road. Esquivel (and His Orchestra) does a fun, luxurious spin on the classic “I Get a Kick Out of You” with great piano flourishes. “Primavera” is a song you’ll think you’ve heard in hundreds of elevators, airports, and train stations…and you probably have.

“Street of Dreams” has sublime and subtle percussion behind Esquivel’s plucky piano work, and another trumpet solo that you can practically frame and hang on a wall. “La Mantilla” is layered with Latin acoustic guitar, piano riffs, and hand percussion, instantly transporting you to a place that only exists in dreams. Esquivel’s version of “One for My Baby (and One for the Road)” takes a song popularized by Frank Sinatra and makes it even woozier.

The percussion on “Dancing in the Dark” almost sounds out of whack, almost like Esquivel is playing piano in one room while a samba band plays in another and the recording equipment is set up in the hallway between the two rooms (and a jazz trumpeter is on the veranda outside). You’ll want “Snowfall” on your Christmas playlists this year and every year afterwards. It’s bright and perfect for a cozy night of snuggling in your satellite bachelor pad. The album ends with “Travelin’.” It’s a good finisher, as it’s perfect for putting on as you start on a new journey to some exotic place, even if it’s only a couple miles down the road.

This is a lounge classic, like all of Esquivel’s work, and shouldn’t be missed. Your date will thank you.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Esquivel – Music from a Sparkling Planet (1995)

Music from a Sparkling Planet is a wonderfully titled compilation of Esquivel‘s space-age bachelor pad music consisting of Esquivel’s arrangements of other contemporaries’ music and his own compositions.

“Cachita” instantly plunges you into the groovy swimming pool of his music with his trademark blend of “latin-esque” sounds, beats, and grooves. “Cherokee” is idyllic to the point of mild hypnosis. “Third Man Theme” is more upbeat than anything you’d see in the Orson Welles movie. It belongs in a goofy European sex comedy from the 1960s about a guy who’s always bumped from hooking up with a lady because he’s the third wheel.

The electric piano on “La Bikina” is delightful. “La Paloma” and “Cachito” (the brother to “Cachita”) keep you in the lounging mood. The mellow accordion on “Cachito” is a neat touch. On “Granada,” he throws in those vocal “Zu zu zu” sounds that only he could make work in a tune, and combines them with Ennio Morricone-like trumpet.

“Question Mark (What Can You Do)” is one of his fully original compositions and arrangements, and it’s bold and bouncy and all-around fun (like the entire collection). “My Blue Heaven” is a quick, jumpy number that hops straight into his excellent version of “All of Me,” which practically throws you into a time machine and dumps you on the Las Vegas Strip circa 1965.

“Poinciana” is great example of Esquivel’s work. It has all the elements you want: Bold brass sections, jazzy piano, sultry vocal sounds, exotic percussion, and slightly psychedelic guitar work. “Flower Girl of Bordeaux” is perfect for rushing through the streets of a foreign land with someone beautiful in a quest of sexy adventure. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” sends us out on a “cha-cha-cha.”

You can’t go wrong with stuff like this. It puts you in a better mood and transports you to faraway places that might be on Earth or in outer space.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Esquivel – Cabaret Mañana (1995)

Cabaret Mañana is an excellent collection of the space-age composer, maestro, bandleader, musician, and arranger, Juan Garcia Esquivel, who was so cool that he could just go by his last name like Karloff, Lugosi, Bowie, Kubrick, Hitchcock, and Morricone.

The compilation covers tracks from 1958 to 1967 and begins with “Mini Skirt,” which was only released in Mexico and Puerto Rico until this album was released in 1995. It’s a fun track about one of Esquivel’s favorite subjects, women, complete with wolf whistle’s and sexy piano riffs.

“Johnson Rag” blends big brass sections with singers singing “Zu-zu-zu” again and again. Esquivel was known as mixing traditional sounds with plenty of outsider stuff like nonsense lyrics just for the sound of them or putting Chinese bells in Latin music. His arrangement of Cole Porter‘s “Night and Day” sounds like it could be a Bond film theme at one point, and then bachelor pad music in the next. “El Cable” is so happy that it could probably banish rainclouds if you played it loud enough.

“Harlem Nocturne” also sounds like an action film theme, and Esquivel did write a lot of music for action TV shows (Miami Vice, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The A-Team among them). “Mucha Muchacha” is one of two tracks on the compilation, the other being “Estrellita,” that are from his Latin-Esque album. Esquivel was so committed to capturing stereo sound on that album that he divided his orchestra in half and had them play simultaneously in separate studios while he and another conductor worked together via closed-circuit television.

Yeah, that was the kind of work ethic he had.

“Time on My Hands” reminds me of some of Ennio Morricone‘s work with its ticking clock setting a constant beat while a slightly sorrowful trumpet plays in another room. “Malagueña” transports you to an exotic desert land on another planet. His take on “Sentimental Journey” is a blast and loaded with his trademarks of space-pop sound, flirting whistles, and those lovely ladies singing “zu-zu-zu.”

The percussion on “Limehouse Blues” is delightfully weird, especially when you mix it with Tiki bar guitar riffs and synths that sound like they’re drunk on margaritas. “April in Portugal” shows off Esquivel’s piano skills. “Question Mark (Que Vas a Hacer)” sounds like the opening theme of a 1960s European sex comedy. His version of “It Had to Be You” is bawdy and beautiful, suitable for night clubs and strip clubs.

“Yeyo” is snappy and a bit bratty (in a fun way). “Lullaby of Birdland” practically struts its sexy stuff down the boulevard on a hot summer day. “Flower Girl from Bordeaux” is full of bold trumpet work, jazz lounge piano, and exotic vocal sounds that create a luscious cocktail.

It’s a fun, lovely compilation from one of the best composers of the 1960s and should be heard by many.

Keep your mind open.

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