Juan García Esquivel

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Juan García Esquivel (born January 13, 1918 in Tampico , Mexico, † January 3, 2002 in Jiutepec , Morelos state , Mexico), often just called Esquivel , was a well-known Mexican musician, band leader and film composer in the 1950s and 1960s. It was rediscovered in the 1990s along with Exotica and Lounge music and is considered The King of Space Age Pop .

life and work

At the age of six he began to play the piano on a self-taught basis. His family moved from Tampico to Mexico City in 1928. He was already playing live on the radio at the age of 14 and formed his first band at the age of 18. From 1940 he set daily radio shows to music. In 1958 he moved to the USA and commuted back and forth with big band formations between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York. His music was too extravagant for the time, however, and he didn't have much commercial success with it.

From 1962 he had a small band of six musicians and four singers, with whom he made regular guest appearances in Las Vegas until 1976. In 1978 he returned to Mexico. In the last years of his life he was unable to walk after a hip fracture and lived in seclusion in Cuernavaca . "Other Worlds Other Sounds" was included in The Wire's legendary wirelist "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)" .

Discography

  • Las Tandas de Juan Garcia Esquivel (1956)
  • Cabaret Tragico (1957)
  • To Love Again (1957)
  • Other Worlds Other Sounds (1958)
  • Four Corners of the World (1958)
  • Exploring New Sounds in Hi-Fi / Stereo (1958)
  • The Ames Brothers: Hello Amigos (1959)
  • Strings Aflame (1959)
  • The Living Strings: In a Mellow Mood (1959)
  • Infinity in Sound, Vol. 1 (1960)
  • Infinity in Sound, Vol. 2 (1961)
  • More of Other Worlds Other Sounds (1962)
  • Latin-Esque (1962)
  • The Genius of Esquivel (1967)
  • 1968 Esquivel !! (1968)
  • Burbujas (1979)
  • Odisea Burbujas (1980)
  • Vamos al Circo (1981)
  • Music From a Sparkling Planet (1995)
  • Merry Christmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad (1996)
  • See It in Sound (1998)

Filmography

Web links

personal data
SURNAME García Esquivel, Juan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Esquivel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mexican musician
DATE OF BIRTH January 13, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Tampico
DATE OF DEATH January 3, 2002
Place of death Jiutepec