Unforgettable Sounds Of Esquivel, The

MR HO’S ORCHESTROTICA: The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel

LOUNGE – Back in the 1950s and 60s, the absolute king of big-band hi-fi lounge music was Mexican arranger Juan Garcia Esquivel, who created a unique “space-age” blend of cutesy pop, punchy jazz, scat vocal harmony and Latin rhythm, marked by steel guitar swoops, winking xylophone accents and sledgehammer brass interjections. This 23-piece band has carefully recreated Esquivel’s original scores and revives the magic with modern recording techniques and some top-notch playing. Beautiful kitsch. Pour a martini and PLAY IT NOW!

All magnificent. Fo’s Picks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11

1. 2:39 – fanfare intro, gliding Spanish tune with wordless vox & fun piano
2. 2:40 – wonderfully cheesy exotica, slick & punchy, with lots for the vocalists
3. 2:15 – swing standard with flute, xylophone, steel guitar, trainlike sounds
4. 3:28 – zu-zu-zu vocals, cha-cha rhythm; soaring trumpet solo, great piano
5. 2:25 – ticker-tape xylophone and low brass, then swings into martini-land
6. 2:25 – vocalists out front at first, with cool rhythms and matador posing
7. 2:35 – whistled melody over marimba; sort of a slap-happy western lope
8. 2:28 – awesome cheese/spy mix; wolf-whistles and interjection of “groovy!”
9. 2:41 – Benny Goodman’s old theme song goes on safari: cool percussion
10. 1:58 – speedy glide: ballroom dancing meets the original Star Trek theme
11. 3:33 – slinky crime jazz, alley-cat piano riff & stripper horns

[ Fo ] 11/20/10