1967's
The Genius of Esquivel is a blast forward from the days when RCA would indulge his very expensive production requirements. By this time,
Esquivel was well-entrenched in his eleven-year run at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. Yes, it was a lounge act, but one of the best and longest-lived. At any rate, 1967 finds him in fine form and not suffering at all from recording obscurity. An original, "Question Mark (Que Vas a Hacer)" distinguishes the album, as do treatments of
Jobim's lovely bossa novas "Agua de Beber" and "Surfboard." The "mod" or "now sound" even comes across in "Malaguena Salerosa (Sweetheart from Malaga)." And "Besame Mucho," not seen since
To Love Again, here is arranged in two parts, clocking in at 4:21. Genius it may be; it's certainly pretty hip for a Vegas act in 1967.