Project moonbase, retro, futuristic, retro-futuristic, podcast, martin denny, arthur lyman, baja marimba band, julius wechter, waitiki 7, javed allahditta, pepe jaramillo, ymck Today (10 April 2011) marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the giants of exotica, in fact one of the creators of exotica, namely Mr Martin Denny.
Martin Denny Exotica Iii
Exotica | |||
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Studio album by | |||
Released | May 1957 | ||
Recorded | December 1956 | ||
Genre | Exotica | ||
Length | 30:36 | ||
Label | Liberty Records | ||
Producer | Martin Denny (uncredited) Simon Jackson | ||
Martin Denny chronology | |||
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- Martin Denny - Exotica.
- Hawaii's piano music legend Martin Denny dies. Lapis Lazuli AKA Buzz Hiscock on Instagram: “Martin Denny – The Exotic Sounds Of Latin LP (1961) #cheesecake #sexy #conga #maracas #bongos #albumcover #retrodesign #exotica”.
- Exotica is the first album by Martin Denny, released in 1957.It contained Les Baxter's most famous piece, 'Quiet Village', and spawned an entire genre bearing its name.It was recorded December 1956 in Webley Edwards' studio in Waikiki (not, as often reported, the Aluminum Dome at Henry J. Kaiser's Hawaiian Village Complex).
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Exotica is the first album by Martin Denny, released in 1957. It contained Les Baxter's most famous piece, 'Quiet Village', and spawned an entire genre bearing its name. It was recorded December 1956 in Webley Edwards' studio in Waikiki (not, as often reported, the Aluminum Dome at Henry J. Kaiser's Hawaiian Village Complex). The album topped Billboard's charts in 1959.[2]
The album was recorded in mono. It was re-recorded in stereo in 1958; by then, however, Denny's sideman Arthur Lyman had left the group, and was replaced by Julius Wechter. Denny preferred the original mono version: 'It has the original spark, the excitement, the feeling we were breaking new ground.'[3]
Track listing[edit]
- 'Quiet Village' (Les Baxter) – 3:39
- 'Return to Paradise' (Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington) – 2:19
- 'Hong Kong Blues' (Hoagy Carmichael) – 2:15
- 'Busy Port' (Baxter) – 2:50
- 'Lotus Land' (Cyril Scott) – 2:22
- 'Similau' (Arden Clar, Harry Coleman) – 1:57
- 'Stone God' (Baxter) – 3:07
- 'Jungle Flower' (Baxter) – 1:46
- 'China Nights' (Shina No Yoru[4]) (Nobuyuki Takeoka[5]) – 2:01
- 'Ah Me Furi' (Gil Baumgart) – 2:08
- 'Waipio' (Francis Brown) – 3:11
- 'Love Dance' (Baxter) – 2:29
Personnel[edit]
- Martin Denny – piano, arrangements
- Arthur Lyman – vibes, xylophone, percussion
- John Kramer – string bass
- Augie Colon – bongos, congas, Latin effects, bird calls
- Harold Chang – drums, percussion
- Bob Lang – engineer
- Sandy Warner – cover model
References[edit]
- ^Allmusic review
- ^Sisario, Ben (2005-03-05). 'Martin Denny, Maestro of Tiki Sound, Dies at 93'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^Exotica/Exotica II (CD). Martin Denny. New York: Scamp Records. 1996. p. 11. R2 70774.CS1 maint: others (link)
- ^支那の夜(in Japanese)
- ^竹岡信幸(in Japanese)
![Denny Denny](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126561696/154167467.jpg)
![Iii Iii](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126561696/881426534.jpg)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Exotica_(Martin_Denny_album)&oldid=990502609'
Introduction to Martin Denny
Martin Denny was an American musician, regarded as the “Father of Exotica.” He developed his sound called “exotica,” which included sounds from strange exotic instruments as well as from animals like frogs and bird calls. He incorporated these into a Lex Baxter original piece “Quiet Village.” It soon became a hit in 1959, and its album called (what else) Exotica reached #1 on the Billboard album chart. Needless to say, the exotica began to grow in popularity, but it proved to be a fad. Nonetheless, Denny continued to perform actively even in his retirement age; at one point he reunited with his original bandmates (including Lyman) to sold-out club gigs. In 2005 Denny died in Honolulu, Hawaii, aged 93.
Early life and career
Martin Denny was born in New York City, New York on April 10, 1911 but grew up in Los Angeles, California.
He studied classical piano when he was ten and became a child prodigy. During the 1930s Denny toured South America with the Don Dean Orchestra for four and a half years. There Denny discovered Latin and exotic rhythms and would collect a number of ethnic instruments for his repertoire.
In 1945, after his discharge from the army, Denny continued to enhance his musical talents by studying piano and composition as well as orchestration in Los Angeles, California. Free games download for mac os x.
From California to Hawaii, where “exotica” was born
In 1954 Denny moved to Honolulu, Hawaii (before the island became a state). There, Denny was employed by club owner Don the Beachcomber to play nightly engagements.
The year after Denny moved to Hawaii, he formed his own combo that included Arthur Lyman (who would also soon make a name for himself and even become a rival of Denny’s in the exotica department). Lyman was a vibist in Denny’s group, which also originally consisted of bassist John Kramer and percussionist Augie Colon.
Denny’s invention of “exotica” genre came as joke. The band was playing on one of their usual evening engagements at the Shell Bar, which had a small pond near the stage. Denny and his bandmates noticed the bullfrogs croaking while they were playing music — likewise, as they stopped playing, so did the bullfrogs’ noises. When the combo played again, the bullfrogs resumed croaking. As a running gag, one of Denny’s bandmates began to imitate bird calls as they performed and the bullfrogs croaked.
It was nothing more than just a joke, until someone suggested to Denny to do a musical arrangement with the birds and frogs sound effects. Denny realized that this made perfect sense. So he incorporated these sounds during their rehearsal of an instrumental number called “Quiet Village,” a Les Baxter original.
Fueling the exotica craze with the hit “Quiet Village”
When “Quiet Village” was released as a single, it was billled under “The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny.” Its naturally exotic, tropical sounds delighted lots of listeners.
“Quiet Village” became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard pop chart in 1959, peaking there at #4. It also went to #11 on the R&B singles chart that year. As the decade drew to a close, exotica and Tiki culture became really popular in mainland US. Many people began to wear colorful Hawaiian shirts and parties with Tiki themes became “in” at the moment.
However, the exotica craze proved to be a fad, and Denny never duplicated or surpassed the success of “Quiet Village.” Nevertheless, Denny enjoyed minor pop hits such as “A Taste Of Honey,” “The Enchanted Sea” and “Ebb Tide” and had three to four of his albums finding their way on the charts simultaneously. He continued to release records copiously throughout the 1960s; many of his albums featured model Sandy Warner who would change her looks (mostly the color of her hair) often depending on the album’s design.
After the exotica craze…
Denny was still active performing and maintained a busy schedule throughout the 1970s. In the mid-1980s Denny retired from active performing and settled in Hawaii with his wife; but a few years later he grew restless and was back on the stage again. He reunited with his old mates (including Lyman) as well as added a new member Archie Grant to the fold. The band played to sold-out dates not only in Hawaii but elsewhere. His vintage LP’s began had become prized by vinyl lovers and collectors, as the interest towards the exotica and space age pop experienced a sort of revival; because of this, a CD reissue of his best works was released on Scamp label.
Martin Denny Exotica Volume Ii
Denny was still on the road even when he was into his 80s. “The Father of Exotica” died in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 2, 2005, aged 93.