Esquivel & His Orchestra

about

Mexican composer and orchestra leader Juan Garcia Esquivel is well remember today for his space-age bachelor pad music. A true original, his music was quirky, campy and highly-crafted. It was also a product of its time. Though he has seen a resurgence in popularity over the past few years his recordings sound hopelessly outdated today, a testament to that strange period in American pop culture that bridged the gap between the generic 1950s and the psychedelic 1960s. His exotic orchestral arrangements, combined with ''zu-zu-zu'' and '' boink, boink'' vocal arrangements, gave his music an otherworldly feel that seemed to inhabit a space between dark, social commentary and easy listening numbness. Born in Tampico, Mexico, Esquivel's family moved to Mexico City when he was ten. A keyboard and electronics prodigy, he became a featured soloist on the radio by the age of 14 and at 18 was conducting his own 22-piece orchestra. By the early 1950s Esquivel had expanded his orchestra to 54 pieces and had become one of the most popular artists in his homeland. His first album was released in Mexico in 1956. In 1957 he released a mono album in the United States. He was then brought to Hollywood in 1958 by RCA Victor producer Herman Diaz, Jr., where he recorded his first stereo album, Other Worlds, Other Sounds, which was nominated for a Grammy. Esquivel released several albums over the next few years and also worked on various other projects, including an Ames Brothers album, Hello, Ami

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