He was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, and his family moved to Mexico City in 1928 where he became a self-taught musician from an early age. In interviews, Esquivel's family members have stated that the young boy started playing piano when he was around 6 years old, to the amazement of older musicians who would gather around him in disbelief and to his own delight exhibiting his musical gifts. They have also stated that Esquivel continued to eschew formal musical training as he grew older, preferring to learn from books and by listening to and playing music instead.
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 featured elaborate light shows years before such effects became popular in live music. He performed in Las Vegas on several occasions, often as the opening act for Frank Sinatra. He frequently performed at the STARDUST casino lounge during ca. 1964.
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 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 composer for Revue Productions/Universal Television. There he scored the TV western series "The Tall Man," and co-wrote, with Stanley Wilson, the familiar Revue/Universal TV logo fanfare.
Ballerina
Esquivel And His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And do your pirouette in rhythm with your achin' heart
Dance, ballerina, dance
You mustn't once forget a dancer has to dance the part
Whirl, ballerina, whirl
And just ignore the chair that's empty in the second row
This is your moment, girl
Once, you said his love must wait its turn
You wanted fame instead
I guess that's your concern
We live and learn
[Chorus]
And love is gone, ballerina, gone
So, on with your career; you can't afford a backward glance
Dance on and on and on
A thousand people here have come to see the show
As 'round and 'round you go
So, ballerina, dance
Dance, dance!
Whirl, ballerina
Once, you said his love must wait its turn
You wanted fame instead
I guess that's your concern
We live and learn
[Chorus]
Dance
, ballerina, dance is a song by Esquivel And His Orchestra that narrates the story of a ballerina who has lost her love and is now dedicating all her attention to her career. The song encourages the ballerina to continue with her art despite the heartbreak, and also highlights the challenges that come with being a dancer. The lyrics express an understanding that as an artist, you have to dance your part and forget the chair that is empty in the second row, as your performance means everything to your audience.
The song portrays love as something that can stand in the way of one's dreams and passions; the ballerina in the story wanted fame instead of waiting for her love, and now that love is gone, she has no choice but to continue pursuing her career. The song suggests that love and dreams can be at odds with each other and that often, one has to make tough choices. Nonetheless, the ballerina is cheered on to keep dancing and delivering stunning performances, even if she feels that something crucial is missing.
Line by Line Meaning
Dance, ballerina, dance
Move your body gracefully, ballerina, to the beat of the music with your aching heart
And do your pirouette in rhythm with your achin' heart
Perform one of the most difficult ballet moves while in sync with the rhythm while your heart is full of pain and sorrow
You mustn't once forget a dancer has to dance the part
Don't ever forget that as a dancer, you have to play your part correctly, no matter what your heart feels like
Whirl, ballerina, whirl
Turn around spinning, ballerina
And just ignore the chair that's empty in the second row
Pay no attention to the empty seat in the front of the audience, he's not coming to watch you perform
This is your moment, girl
This is your spotlight, so give it your best performance
Although he's not out there applauding as you steal the show
Even if he's not admiring your fantastic performance, keep performing and keep impressing everyone
Once, you said his love must wait its turn
You put your love on hold with the idea of soaring to stardom rather than committing to love immediately
You wanted fame instead
You preferred the spotlight and the adoration that comes with fame instead of a romantic relationship
I guess that's your concern
Presumably, that was what you wanted
We live and learn
Experience is the best teacher in life, and we learn a lot of life lessons the hard way.
And love is gone, ballerina, gone
Your love has left you, ballerina, and you must simply move on to your career
So, on with your career; you can't afford a backward glance
Don't look back, keep pushing forward in your career and leave behind what's troubling you
A thousand people here have come to see the show
The audience is here to experience your performance and witness your incredible talent
As 'round and 'round you go
As you keep twirling and dancing in circles
So, ballerina, dance
Keep dancing, ballerina
Dance, dance!
Keep dancing, never stopping your graceful moves
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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