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.
The 3rd Man Theme
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll remember yesterday
In its haunting strain
Vienna lives again
Free and bright and gay
In your mind a sudden gleam
Of a half forgotten dream
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
Once again there comes to mind
Someone that you left behind
Love that somehow didn't last
In that happy city of the past
Does she still recall the dream
That rapture so supreme
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The zither's sweet refrain
Keeps swirling in your brain
Like new may wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
And the laughter of long ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
You never knew that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
The years will never drive it out
You don't know why
It's something you can't live without
You hear it in the twilight hush
And in the morning traffic rush
A song that's always new
In your heart a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
When a zither starts to play
You'll remember yesterday
In its haunting strain
Vienna lives again
Free and bright and gay
In your mind a sudden gleam
Of a well remembered dream
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
Once again there comes to mind
Someone that you left behind
Love that somehow didn't last
In that happy city of the past
Does she still recall the dream
That rapture so supreme
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The zither's sweet refrain
Keeps swirling in your brain
Like new may wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
And the laughter of long ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
You never knew that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
The years will never drive it out
You don't know why
It's something you can't live without
You hear it in the twilight hush
And in the morning traffic rush
A song that's always new
In your heart a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
The Third Man Theme is a song that was composed by Anton Karas for the title character of the 1949 film noir The Third Man. The song is primarily instrumental, with occasional references to the film and a few lines of poetic lyrics. The opening lines of the song describe the power of Karas's zither playing to evoke memories of Vienna, the setting of the film. The haunting notes of the instrument bring back the sights and sounds of the city and trigger memories of lost loves and happy times. The lyrics create a sense of nostalgia, as though the film and its music transport the listener back in time to a bygone era.
The song's middle section shifts to a more general evocation of the atmosphere of Vienna during its golden age, with references to carnivals, carousels, Ferris wheels, and Strauss waltzes. The zither's sweet refrain is said to swirl in the listener's brain like new may wine, invoking the sensory experiences of the city's streets and nightlife. The closing lines of the song return to the theme of memory and the enduring power of the Third Man Theme to capture the listener's imagination. The song is presented as a kind of magical force that will always be new and fresh, a part of the listener's heart and soul.
Line by Line Meaning
When a zither starts to play
As soon as the zither starts playing its tune
You'll remember yesterday
You'll be reminded of times long gone
In its haunting strain
Through the haunting melody
Vienna lives again
Vienna is brought back to life
Free and bright and gay
Full of freedom, brightness, and joy
In your mind a sudden gleam
A sudden memory emerges in your mind
Of a half forgotten dream
Of a dream that was once partially forgotten
Seems to glimmer when you hear the third man theme
It seems to shine when you listen to the melody of The Third Man theme
Once again there comes to mind
You recall once again
Someone that you left behind
Someone you have left in the past
Love that somehow didn't last
A love that, for some reason, didn't make it
In that happy city of the past
In the city that used to bring so much happiness
Does she still recall the dream
Do they still remember the dream?
That rapture so supreme
That indescribable joy and excitement
When first she heard the haunting third man theme?
When they first heard the captivating melody of The Third Man theme
Carnivals and carousels and Ferris wheels and parasols
Carnivals, carousels, Ferris wheels, and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The Danube nights with their dancing lights will come to life again
The zither's sweet refrain
The sweet melody of the zither
Keeps swirling in your brain
Returns continuously to your mind
Like new may wine
Like newly produced May wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
Strauss waltzes, and the glowing light of candles
And the laughter of long ago
And the laughter from a long time ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
Fill the magic sound pattern of the melody and bring it to modern times
You never knew that you could be
You never realized that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
Charmed and mesmerized by a tune
The years will never drive it out
The years will never make you forget it
You don't know why
You're not sure why
It's something you can't live without
But it's something you can't go without
You hear it in the twilight hush
You listen to it in the evening quietness
And in the morning traffic rush
And in the morning rush hour
A song that's always new
A melody that's evergreen and forever new
In your heart a part of you
In your heart, it becomes a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear the third man theme
Oh, it shines so brightly as you listen to The Third Man theme
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anton Karas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind