DEAR LISTENER,
With the help of twenty-two fine musicians and my pal Brother Cleve, I am happy to bring you the debut album in our Exotica for Modern Living series. The band you are listening to is performing Esquivel’s lost arrangements of popular hits from the 20th century using parts and scores that were transcribed by ear from his original recordings. I hope you enjoy our attempt to honor his legacy and unique contribution to space-age pop and will seek out the original albums that inspired this recording. Enjoy!
Mr. Ho
FROM THE PRODUCER:
I was fortunate to have known Juan Esquivel during the last decade of his life, and I was delighted to discover that the joy, humor, and inventiveness found in the man’s music was even more pronounced in the man himself. I wish he was still here among us to be able to hear and cherish Mr. Ho’s transcriptions of his arrangements, for I know it would bring him much pleasure. While
utilizing the modern recording techniques available today−just as Esquivel would if he were recording now−we’ve entered these sounds into the digital age, but have tried to keep them true to the original vision. By recording a big band live in the spacious, reverberant studios of Futura Productions, we’ve endeavored to bring you some new dimensions in exploring
new sounds in stereo. We hope you enjoy the results.
—BROTHER CLEVE
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