For the Record...

Esquivel and His Orchestra - The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero)

Juan García Esquivel (January 20, 1918 – January 3, 2002) often simply known as Esquivel!, was a Mexican band leader, pianist, and composer for television and films. He is recognized today as one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of largely instrumental music that combines elements of lounge music and jazzwith Latin flavors. Esquivel is sometimes called “The King of Space Age Pop” and “The Busby Berkley of Cocktail Music.” Esquivel is considered one of the foremost exponents of a style of late 1950s-early 1960s quirky instrumental pop that became known (in retrospect) as “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music”. -via wikipedia

I’ve been hitting Esquivel! hard lately. Especially with spring in blossom it seems like there is never a wrong moment for Esquivel. So with this in mind I’m going to dedicate a little more verbiage than I normally do.

Esquivel had a lost album called “See it in Sound”. He recorded it in 1960, but due to concerns over its commercial viability it never saw light until 1998 after someone finally wised up and put some money behind it. This album is a pretty amazing experience. I imagine that he took a lot from his experience from scoring cinema and TV to make this album. Apart from enjoying it on a purely musical level, when I finish listening to the album I feel like I just got back from somewhere really cool. Hard to describe. On a musical level, it’s not just a novel use of soundscaping. Occasionally Esquivel isn’t afraid to let the samples’ knickers show by purposely exposing the loop end points in somewhat of a fourth wall fashion. The music really does have a narrative with an arc and a conclusion. As for “The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero)”, think of it as a trailer for a movie. Its the first track and I dont want to give away the ending. The pacing is really nice. Before you know it your foot will be tapping and then almost just as quickly feel disappointment as it ends and fades into the next scene. High art.

I should mention… Unfortunately 1998 wasn’t very kind to Esquivel’s album artwork so instead I posted some of his earlier covers.