Esquivel - Latin-Esque (1962)

Latin-Esque was Esquivel's third and final collaboration with producer Neely Plumb and engineer John Norman. This was Esquivel's first and only foray into RCA's Stereo Action series. It was through an incredibly innovative system that they achieved complete stereo separation. The original liner notes do an excellent job of explaining the methods used:

"This album represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first time in the history of stereo recording in which absolute separation of channels has been achieved. To accomplish this, the orchestra was separated into two parts - half in Studio 1 and the other half in Studio 2, almost a city block down the long corridor of the RCA building in Hollywood. Through an intricate system of inter-communication by headphones, the musicians were able to hear each other and play together just as if they were all in the same room. The effects are startling, the arrangements are daring, and when an instrument moves from side to side it can literally be said that the motion is almost a block long! Five experimental sessions were held prior to the actual recording dates. At these sessions Esquivel and his producer and engineer tried endless different approaches to various percussion instruments with electronic effects applied to them. A careful book of notes was kept with the best and most convincing effects clearly marked, later to be applied to the actual arrangements by Esquivel himself. Space does not allow the details of the effects themselves, but in LATIN-ESQUE by Esquivel you are sure to hear sounds you have never heard before - sounds your eyes can follow."

Check out this wild music video for "You Belong to My Heart (Solamente una Vez)" that uses drawings done by Sharon Rutledge:



Check out this clip that combines visuals from Animaniacs with the sounds of "Mucha Muchacha":



Esquivel signed to Reprise Records, the Warner Bros. label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, for his next album, 1962's More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds. He then took a five year break from producing studio albums to focus on his live stage show for the Las Vegas/Lake Tahoe circuit. He would eventually return to the studio for two final albums, 1967's The Genius of Esquivel and 1968 Esquivel!!

Latin-Esque was released on CD by BMG Music Spain in 2000.

Esquivel - Latin-Esque (1962)
1. La Raspa (1:50)
2. Adios, Mariquita Linda (3:14)
3. Jesusita en Chihuahua (2:20)
4. Cachito (Pedacito) (2:26)
5. Latin-Esque (3:04)
6. La Paloma (2:03)
7. Estrellita (2:30)
8. (Oyeme) Cachita (2:23)
9. Jungle Drums (Canto Karabali) (3:55)
10. Mucha Muchacha (2:17)
11. You Belong to My Heart (Solamente una Vez) (2:42)
12. Carioca (1:41)

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