Editing Juan García Esquivel (section)

==Music==
Esquivel played 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. These  included 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 meticulously arranged by Esquivel himself, who considered himself a perfectionist as a composer, performer, and recording artist.

His orchestration employed 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. Vocal groups were often utilized to sing only nonsense syllables, most famously "zu-zu" and "pow!"  A survey of Esquivel's recordings reveals a fondness for [[glissando]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spaceagepop.com/esquivel.htm|title=Juan Garcia Esquivel|website=Spaceagepop.com|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> sometimes on a half-valved trumpet, sometimes on a [[timpani|kettle drum]], but most frequently on pitched [[percussion instrument]]s and [[steel guitar]]s.

Esquivel's use of [[stereo]] recording was notable, and he occasionally employed two bands recording simultaneously in separate studios, such as on his album ''[[Latin-esque]]'' (1962). That album's song "Mucha Muchacha" makes unusual use of stereo separation, with the chorus and brass rapidly alternating in the left and right audio channels.

He arranged many traditional [[Music of Mexico|Mexican]] songs like "[[Bésame Mucho]]", "[[La Bamba (song)|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 (Antônio Carlos Jobim song)|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 1958 album ''Four Corners of the World'' featured a fusion of "Latin American music combined with the wonderful melodies of European classical music."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwek |first=Joel |date=2020-07-15 |title=MEXICO: Four Corners of the World - Esquivel! |url=https://www.200worldalbums.com/post/mexico-four-corner-of-the-world-esquivel |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=200worldalbums.com |language=en}}</ref>

His concerts featured elaborate light shows years before such effects became popular in live music.  He performed in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] on several occasions, often as the opening act for [[Frank Sinatra]]. He frequently performed at the [[Stardust Resort and Casino|Stardust casino]] lounge circa 1964.

Several compilations of Esquivel's music were issued on compact disc starting with ''Space Age Bachelor Pad Music'' in 1994. The first reissues were compiled by [[Irwin Chusid]] (who also produced the first CD compilation of [[Raymond Scott]] recordings and the premiere release of [[The Langley Schools Music Project]]). The success of these releases led to reissues of several of Esquivel's original 1950s-'60s albums.

The last recording on which Esquivel worked was ''Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad'' in 1996, for which he recorded [[voiceovers]] on two tracks by the band [[Combustible Edison]]; his voiceovers were recorded at home in Mexico by the band's keyboardist [[Brother Cleve]], who also mixed the tracks. This album was a re-release of the six Esquivel recordings that originally appeared on the 1959 RCA Victor LP ''The Merriest of Christmas Pops'', along with four more Esquivel recordings from the late 1950s and 1960s and two new Combustible Edison tracks featuring Esquivel's holiday-themed voiceovers.

The last CD released during his lifetime, ''See It In Sound'' (1998), was recorded in 1960 for RCA, but was not released at the time because RCA believed it would not be commercially successful. The album's concept was that Esquivel's music would be combined with sound effects and edited in a way that suggested a visual work such as a film, though without dialog or an explicitly stated narrative. For example, the album includes a version of "[[Aquarela do Brasil|Brazil]]" with an arrangement that makes extensive use of editing and sound effects to suggest a person going in and out of several bars, each bar featuring a band playing a unique arrangement of "Brazil".

Esquivel also worked as composer for Revue Productions/Universal Television. There he scored the TV western series "[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]", and co-wrote, with [[Stanley Wilson (musician)|Stanley Wilson]], the [[Universal Television|Revue/Universal TV]] logo fanfare.<ref>{{cite book |title=A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971 |url=https://www.google.pt/books/edition/A_History_of_Television_s_The_Virginian/OvPH-sYo_O8C |access-date=28 November 2024 |date=2014 | publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers | isbn=9780786457991 }}</ref>