Juan García Esquivel (January 20, 1918 – January 3, 2002) 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 jazz with Latin flavors. Esquivel is sometimes called "The King of Space Age Pop" and "The Busby Berkeley 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".
He was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, and his family moved to Mexico City in 1928 where he studied at the UNAM.
Esquivel is considered the king of a style of late 1950s-early 1960s quirky instrumental pop known today as lounge music. Esquivel's musical style was highly idiosyncratic, and although elements sound like his contemporaries, many stylistic traits distinguished his music and made it instantly recognizable, including exotic percussion, wordless vocals, virtuoso piano runs, and exaggerated dynamic shifts. He used many jazz-like elements; however, other than his piano solos, there is no improvisation, and the works are tightly, meticulously arranged by Esquivel himself, who considered himself a perfectionist as a composer, performer, and recording artist.
His orchestration tended toward the very lush, employing novel instrumental combinations, such as Chinese bells, mariachi bands, whistling, and numerous percussion instruments, blended with orchestra, mixed chorus, and his own heavily-ornamented piano style. The chorus was often called upon to sing only nonsense syllables, most famously "zu-zu" and "pow!" A survey of Esquivel's recordings reveals a fondness for glissandi, sometimes on a half-valved trumpet, sometimes on a kettle drum, but most frequently on pitched percussion instruments and slide guitars.
Esquivel's use of stereo recording was legendary, occasionally featuring two bands recording simultaneously in separate studios, such as on his album Latin-Esque (1962). The song "Mucha Muchacha" makes particularly mind-bending use of the separation, with the chorus and brass rapidly alternating stereo sides.
He arranged many traditional Mexican songs like "Bésame Mucho", "La Bamba", "El Manisero" (Cuban/Mexican) and "La Bikina"; covered Brazilian songs like "Aquarela do Brasil" (also known simply as "Brazil") by Ary Barroso, "Surfboard" and "Agua de Beber" by Tom Jobim, and composed spicy lounge-like novelties such as "Mini Skirt", "Yeyo", "Latin-Esque", "Mucha Muchacha" and "Whatchamacallit". He was commissioned to compose the music of a Mexican children's TV show Odisea Burbujas.
His concerts also featured elaborate light shows years before effects like that became popular in live music. He performed in Las Vegas on several occasions, often as the opening act for Frank Sinatra.
Several compilations of Esquivel's music were issued starting with Space Age Bachelor Pad Music in 1994. The apparent success of these releases led to reissues of several of Esquivel's albums. The first reissues were compiled by Irwin Chusid, who also produced the first CD reissues of Raymond Scott and The Langley Schools Music Project.
The last recording on which Esquivel worked was Merry Christmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad in 1996, for which he did a voiceover on a track by the band Combustible Edison. This album also included several obscure tracks from his past sessions. The last CD released during his lifetime, See It In Sound, was actually recorded in 1960, but was not released at the time because the record company believed it would not be commercially successful. When finally released in 1998, it exhibited very unusual and introspective stylings absent from his other works, including a version of "Brazil", played as a musical soundscape of a man bar-hopping where the band plays different renditions of "Brazil" at each bar.
Esquivel also worked as a composer for Revue Productions/Universal Television; where he scored the TV western series "The Tall Man," and wrote the familiar Revue/Universal TV logo fanfare.
Tribute performances (current)
Jan 14, 2011 Boston - Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica - CD Release for "The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel"
Mar 18, 2011 New York City - Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica - CD Release for "The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel" (first-ever live performance of Esquivel's big band studio orchestra music in NYC)
Influences
Kronos Quartet recorded a string quartet arrangement of Esquivel's song "Mini Skirt" for their album Nuevo.
My Reverie
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see that this love was meant for me
Only a poor fool never schooled in the whirlpool
Of romance could be so cruel as you are to me
My dreams are as worthless as tin to me
Without you life will never begin to be
So love me as I love you in my reverie
Make my dream a reality
Come to me in my reverie
Our love is a dream, but in my reverie
I can see that this love was meant for me
Only a poor fool never schooled in the whirlpool
Of romance could be so cruel as you are to me
My dreams are as worthless as tin to me
Without you life will never begin to be
So love me as I love you in my reverie
Make my dream a reality
Let's dispense with formality
Come to me in my reverie
Esquivel's song "My Reverie" is a heartfelt plea from a man to his lover to make their love a reality. The song starts by acknowledging that their love may be a dream, but in his reverie, he can see that this love was meant for him. The use of the word "reverie" suggests a dreamy, daydreaming state in which he is able to fully imagine and embrace this love. He goes on to express his frustration that his dreams are worthless without her and that he cannot bear to imagine life without her. The line "Only a poor fool never schooled in the whirlpool of romance could be so cruel as you are to me" suggests that his lover is being cold or dismissive towards him, and that he believes it is due to a lack of experience in love.
The singer then pleads with his lover to love him as he loves her and to make his dream a reality. He wants them to be able to dispense with formalities and be together in the same dreamy, romantic state that he experiences in his reverie. Overall, the song conveys a sense of hope and longing for a love that may still be attainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Our love is a dream, but in my reverie
Although people may say that our love is just a dream, when I daydream, I can sense that our love is real and meant to be
I can see that this love was meant for me
In my daydreams, I can perceive that this love was destined for me and no one else
Only a poor fool never schooled in the whirlpool
One who lacks experience in the turbulent pool of romance is foolish and unwise
Of romance could be so cruel as you are to me
Someone who has never been in love before could not be as unkind and heartless as you are towards me
My dreams are as worthless as tin to me
Without you, my fantasies and aspirations are worthless and meaningless
Without you life will never begin to be
My existence and life would never start or be complete without your presence and love
So love me as I love you in my reverie
Love me as I love you in my daydreams, with an unyielding and limitless devotion
Make my dream a reality
Turn my fantasies and hopes into real-life experiences
Let's dispense with formality
Let's abandon the need to adhere to proper etiquette and be genuine with each other
Come to me in my reverie
Join me in my daydreams and make them a reality by loving me as I love you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Larry Clinton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind