Music to Take to the Moon

 

Pretend you get one album for your trip to the moon.

It’s just you and that wild, neurotic monkey stuffed into the liquor bottle shaped capsule for weeks on end.

One album.

One chance at sanity.

When your mind has barreled away and your muscles wither from atrophy trust me, your going to need it. When you get sick of sleeping standing up, you’ll be glad you have it. When those strange physiological vultures peck at the very thread that binds your judgment, trust me, it will be nice to escape.

If I were you I would take Space Age Bachelor Pad Music.

It’s not a guaranteed savior from intergalactic insanity but you’ve got a shot.

The record is by the king of space age pop Juan Garcia Esquivel. Or just simply Esquivel. Its jazz meets lounge meets imagination. The disc is very dynamic from track to track but it’s his fundamental exotic rhythms and dancing piano keys that make his style so entertaining.

The album hits with “Harlem’s Nocturne” which is a seductive composition of horns and eerie vocals. From there it progresses, each track delivering vastly different moods and symphony arrangements. Any fan of the music that rose from the 1960s will greatly appreciate the depth of the record. It has a certain edge to it; it’s the kind of music that makes you feel classy and confident but also slightly mischievous. Like its 64’ and you’re lounging around the Flamingo Lounge, rum strung with an eye for adventure. It’s all of that rolled into an exceptional jazz record.

 

What’s amazing is Esquivel finds a way to mesh elements of fundamental American jazz with quirky pop and Mexican song arrangements. This makes for a unique and definitive sound. He uses more then a dozen percussion instruments merging these with Chinese bells, mariachi bands, and whistling. So if winter is hitting to hard and you need an escape, try this record on for size.

Bryan Lindgren

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~ by thefamousbl on December 11, 2007.