Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Esquivel!, a Mexican pianist and composer from Tampico by way of Mexico City. Juan García Esquivel was a self-taught musician from a young age. At age 6, his piano playing would arrest passersby who were amazed at the child’s precocity.¹ He would go on to compose and arrange eclectic orchestral music that was contemporaneously labeled “lounge” or “exotica.” Attentive listening reveals Esquivel’s music to be a genre unto itself, integrating jazz with mariachi bands and whistling, among many other things. We’re playing Cabaret Mañana, a 1995 RCA collection of great works by him and his orchestra, as well as Goodbye Summer…, a more recent collection of his works.

Cabaret Mañana - Esquivel! (50m, occasional vocals, mostly wordless)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Goodbye Summer - Autumn Mood - Esquivel! (30m, occasional vocals, especially on track 5)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a really nice Thursday.