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.
Time On My Hands
Esquivel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moon is my light of love
In the night, I am quite a romancer
I find an answer above
To being me consolation, you're my inspiration
This is my imagination.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
Moments to spare for someone you care for
Our love affair for two
With time on my hands and you in my arms
And love in my heart all for you.
The lyrics of Esquivel's "Time on My Hands" express the feelings and thoughts of someone who is in love and finds comfort and inspiration in the moon and the night. The first verse describes how the fading day gives way to twilight, and in that darkness, the moon shines as a symbol of love. The singer of the song is a romantic person who finds inspiration in the night and sees answers to his problems above. The second verse directly addresses the object of his affection, with the lines "To being me consolation, you're my inspiration, this is my imagination." The singer is finding comfort and solace in his love, and this is his source of inspiration and motivation.
The chorus sings about the beauty of love when one has time on their hands to enjoy it. In the arms of his lover, the singer imagines a world of love and possibility. He sings, "Nothing but love in view, then you fall, once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true. Moments to spare for someone you care for, our love affair for two." The singer sees a beautiful world when he has time to spend with his lover. The bridge then returns to the idea that his lover is his inspiration and motivation, with the line "With time on my hands and you in my arms, and love in my heart all for you."
Line by Line Meaning
When the day fades away into twilight
As the day turns into night, I see the beauty of twilight.
The moon is my light of love
The moon's light represents my love for my partner.
In the night, I am quite a romancer
At night, I'm a hopeless romantic who loves to express love and passion.
I find an answer above
In love, I find my peace and my answer to life's existential questions.
To being me consolation, you're my inspiration
You provide me with comfort and inspiration when I need it the most.
This is my imagination.
All these emotions and feelings are a product of my imagination.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
When I have nothing but time and you're in my arms, I feel complete.
Nothing but love in view, then you fall
All my eyes can see is love while I fall deeper and deeper in love with you.
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
I'm confident that with you, I'll achieve all my dreams and aspirations.
Moments to spare for someone you care for
I always make time for you because I truly care for you.
Our love affair for two
Our love is just between the two of us and no one else matters.
With time on my hands and you in my arms
As long as I have time and you're with me, nothing else matters.
And love in my heart all for you.
All my love is reserved for you, and no one else can have it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ADAMSON, MACK GORDON, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind