Esquivel! : space-age sound artist

A playful picture-book biography of the father of space-age bachelor-pad lounge music.

Gorgeously illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, this lively biography follows Juan Garcia Esquivel from Mexico to New York City. Juan grew up to the sounds of mariachi bands; he loved music and became a musical explorer. Defying convention, he created music that made people laugh and planted images in their minds. His musical dreams brought him from Mexico to America and gained him worldwide renown. Juan's space-age lounge music-popular in the fifties and sixties-has found a new generation of listeners. This account honors Esquivel as one of the great composers of the 20th century.

When Juan García Esquivel was a small boy, he lived with his family in Tampico, Mexico, where whirling mariachi bands let out joyful yells as they stamped and strummed.             By age six, Juan was curious about music. There was a piano at Juan's house, but it was a player piano--a paper roll told it which keys to play.             Clever Juan had an idea. He disabled the paper roll and turned his parents' jangly piano into one he could practice on. He played it day and night. Excerpted from Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.