Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica Presents:
The Unforgettable Sounds Of Esquivel
www.orchestrotica.com
By George W. Harris

And now for something completely different…

Tired of the same old same old? Let me tell ya, you ain’t heard modern big band until you’ve got a hold of this one. Or is it that this one gets a hold of you? Multi-percussionist, bandleader, pianist and what else here, Mr. Ho leads a band that is sort of a mix of Spike Jones, Prez Prado, Xavier Cugat and Stan Kenton. The do versions of songs like “Night And Day” and “Sentimental Journey” that, like a Jonathon Winters monologue, will either make you run as far away as possible, or stare in joyful disbelief. His own “Mini Skirt” mixes steel guitar and vocals-as-instruments, while “Take The ‘A’ Train” features percussion and a bass flute (!) that make it sound like it’s about to jump the track. A take of “Andalucia” will get you flashing around with a cape, while “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” will startle you out of bed with a reverie piercing trumpet solo by Yaure Muniz. Take your pulse and blood pressure before and after listening to this set, and let me know how much they go up. Yee-haw!