Every once in a while, I get turned on to an artist that's so completely different, they belong in a class by themselves. Juan Garcia Esquivel is one of these rare musicians. Esquivel (who is now 77) was a composer/arranger/megastar in Mexico during the 50s and early 60s. He had a reputation in the U.S., but more for his performances than his recordings. This limited the number of people who know of him at the time, but Irwin Chusid (who produced this compilation) argues his presence in Southern California in the early 60s probably influenced Brian Wilson and Phil Spector. And no wonder. The description - to quote Irwin - "...Spike Jones meets Dali arrangements and Wagnerian magnificance..." is right on the mark.
Esquivel recorded some of the first stereo albums for RCA. But his "unique" style and obsessive pursuit of perfection resulted in albums (that in retrospect) were clearly 30 years ahead fo their time. In the liner notes, Herman Diaz, jr. - who brought Esquivel to America from Mexico and produced his albums - shares anecdotes about those sessions, "Everything was recorded live without overdubs. Esquivel would play the piano and conduct simultaneously. I might make suggestions, but he was totally in control of what he did. When dealing with such a brilliant talent, the less involved i got, the better. There was one problem: money. RCA kept an eye on the budget, but Esquivel couldn't care less. We got him the best musicians in New York session after session, but he didn't care about RCA's money or the musicians money, or about overtime. All he cared about was getting the best sound and performance for his arrangements. He was a perfectionist, always. he made some very expensive records. Beautiful - but expensive."
And the recordings are incredible. He took chestnuts like "My Blue Heaven," "All Of Me," and "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (to name just a few
- in fact this compilation includes only one original song) and turned them into some of the most twisted "lounge" music ever recorded, or performed for that matter. Words just can't convey what's happening in these songs. At first, the arrangements seem "kitschy," then in subtle (and not so subtle!) ways, they begin to insinuate themselves into your brain. One moment intense and dissonate, the next melodic - almost romantic. And an amazing mix of instrumentation. Best (still poorly) described as soundtrack music for The Jetsons - probably what Jane listens to around the house, or when she and George go out dancing.The accompaning booklet includes interviews with Esquivel, as well as people who worked with him on his various projects. What it fails to do is give information about the songs themselves. This is Bar/None-RCA's second compilation; the original (vinyl) albums are long out of print, yet there's no mention what albums these songs are from or what year they were released. This is a major oversight. It's claimed the first compilation Space Age Bachelor Pad Music has a biographical overview of his work. That's still no excuse for not including the information on this CD.
This music isn't going to be for everyone. Like many things in life, it's an acquired taste. But if you like challenges and creativity when you listen to music, Esquivel will meet and even exceed your expectations. I highly recommend him.
