"Cabaret Manana"
Esquivel, 1995
This
is a compilation of one of the best lounge band leaders ever, Jaun
Garcia Esquivel!
Esquivel, more than anyone, was
the man who gave life to the Space Age Bachelor Pad movement. Whenever
you think of lounge, his is the music you always come back to. The success
of composers like Henry Mancini, and even contemporaries
like Les Baxter and Martin
Denny, owe a lot to
Esquivel. With his tireless
work ethic and eye for music detail, he made lounge the heir apparent to
the swing and big band crown. On Cabaret Manana we have his
original tunes like the quirky "Mini Skirt" (incorporating wolf whistles
and the word "groovy" as part of the tune) and "Mucha Muchacha" (a Latin-via-Vegas
overproduction) mixed with old standards "Sentimental Journey," "Night
and Day," and "Take the A-Train." Esquivel did what seemed
impossible, he turned a large band into a groove machine. Not like groovy
in a soulful way, but groovy in a champagne and caviar way. With a smirk
and a wink, Esquivel created the soundtrack for the life
of the American Bachelor.
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