Martin Denny's breakthrough album, Exotica

Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the late 1950s to mid 1960s typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism exotica means tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania (Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Southeast Asia, and especially Hawaii). While the South Seas forms the core region, exotica reflects the "musical impressions" of every place from standard travel destinations to the mythical "shangri-las" dreamed by armchair safari-ers. Image File history File links Cover of Martin Dennys Exotica album. ... Image File history File links Cover of Martin Dennys Exotica album. ... Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 - March 2, 2005) is universally known as the founder and reigning king of exotica music, a type of big band music with Latin rhythms and overtones of Pacific Ocean culture that is largely scorned by critics but was extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Exotica is an album by Martin Denny that was released in 1957. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Ersatz is a German name (literal meaning: substitute) for products, especially chemical compounds and provisions developed in wartimes when shortage of certain goods was imminent. ... For the fictional superstate in George Orwells novel, see Oceania (Nineteen Eighty-Four). ... Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 This article is about the wider region in the Pacific. ... Map showing Melanesia. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the novel, Lost Horizon, written by British writer James Hilton in 1933. ...

Les Baxter's album, Ritual of the Savage (Le Sacre du Sauvage), would become the cornerstone of Exotica. This album featured lush orchestral arrangements along with tribal rhythms and featured such classics as "Quiet Village", "Jungle River Boat", "Love Dance", and "Stone God." Ritual is the seminal Exotica record, influencing all that came after it. As the 1950s progressed, Baxter carved out a niche in this area, producing titles in this style for Yma Sumac and Bas Sheva). Les Baxter (March 14, 1922 - January 15, 1996) studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. ... Yma Sumac on the cover of her collection The Ultimate Yma Sumac Collection Yma Sumac (born September 10, 1922?), also spelled Ymma Sumak, is a noted vocalist of Peruvian origin. ...

In 1956, Martin Denny burst on to the scene with his dreamy Hawaiian rhythms complete with exotic birdcalls. The new technology of stereo recording gave the music, and the oriental ethnic instruments in it, an almost surreal effect. After forming his band in 1955. In 1957, Denny with Les Baxter as composer produced the "Quiet Village", which established the sound of Polynesian music. After a string of successful albums Denny's commercial appeal faded as the Tiki fad waned. By the mid-1960s rock and roll supplanted Exotica in the American musical mainstream. Exotica and its parent genre, lounge, have resurfaced and have gained in popularity in recent years. Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 - March 2, 2005) is universally known as the founder and reigning king of exotica music, a type of big band music with Latin rhythms and overtones of Pacific Ocean culture that is largely scorned by critics but was extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. ... A Tiki Bar is an artifact of Tiki Culture, often of Mid 20th Century origin, wherein you can enjoy a momentary escape from the cares of modern world into a neo-Polynesian setting of scowling gods, powerful rum drinks, and mood lit bamboo & tapa cloth seating. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Lounge music refers to music played in the lounges and bars of hotels and casinos, or at standalone piano bars. ...

According to vinylist Hipwax, "exotica relies on percussion: conga, bongos, vibes, gongs, boo bams (bamboo sticks), Tahitian log, Chinese bell tree, bird calls, big-cat roars, and even primate shrieks invoke the dangers of the jungle. Except for a handful of singers and standards with lyrics, singing is rare. Abstract, sirenish ululations, fierce chants, or guttural growls are common, however." A pair of congas The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum of African origin, probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums. ... Bongos being played Bongos are a percussion instrument. ... A typical Ludwig-Musser vibraphone. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Bird song refers to the sounds, usually melodious to the human ear, made by many birds of the order Passeriformes as a form of communication. ...

See also

• Mexican bandleader Juan Garcia Esquivel is sometimes regarded as forming part of the Exotica movement.
• The music of American composer Raymond Scott is also recognized as a precursor to exotica, as several of his songs were written with the intent of transporting the listener to exotic locations via novelty instruments and sound effects.
• Arthur Lyman
• Korla Pandit – regarded as the "Godfather of Exotica."

This article is about the musician Juan Garcia Esquivel. ... Raymond Scott (September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994), was a Russian-American composer, orchestra leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor. ... Arthur Lyman (February 2, 1932 - February 24, 2002) popularized a jazzy style of Hawaiian music during the 1950s, and gathered a following as a purveyor of so-called exotic music or Exotica. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

External references

• Vegas Vics Tiki Lounge Podcast Features music from the exotica genre of artists such as Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny.
• WAITIKI is one of the few new exotica bands in the world (Boston, MA, USA) performing both original music and covers. Another is Don Tiki of Honolulu, HI. Members of both bands have performed with Martin Denny.