Esquivel ~ Other World Other Sounds (1958)

For his second American LP, released October 1958, Esquivelplays piano and provides arrangements not just for the 26-piece orchestra, but for the six-member Randy Van Horne Singers as well. The majority of the "singing" consists of various "zu," "ooh" and "ah" sounds, but that's all part of the charm. This three-day session was Esquivel's first opportunity to experiment with stereo recording. His dynamic use of the two-channel recording process is exciting and inventive. It's here that Esquivel's trademark sound starts to emerge. 'Course, most people probably bought the album because of the cosmic hottie on the cover and, I imagine, were amazed by Esquivel's quirky sound on first listen.

tracks

01 Granada
02 Begin The Beguine
03 Night And Day
04 Poinciana
05 Playfully
06 Adios
07 That Old Black Magic
08 Nature Boy
09 Magic Is The Moonlight
10 Speak Low
11 Ballerina
12 It Had To Be You
13 I Only Have Eyes For You
14 Anna (El Negro Zumbon)
15 Frenesi