Exotica

Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the 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" dreamt of by armchair safari-ers.

History

Les Baxter's album Ritual of the Savage (Le Sacre du Sauvage) was released in 1952 and would become the cornerstone of exotica. This album featured lush orchestral arrangements along with tribal rhythms and offered 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.

In 1956 Martin Denny burst on to the scene with his dreamy Hawaiian rhythms, complete with exotic bird calls. The Oriental and ethnic musical instruments which he favored gave his approach an almost surreal effect. In 1957, Denny, with Les Baxter as composer, produced the "Quiet Village", which established the sound of the Polynesian styled music. Soon the new technology of stereo further opened up the musical palettes of Denny and other prominent exotica artists such as Arthur Lyman and Juan García Esquivel. After several years of number one albums, exotica's commercial appeal faded, just as the Tiki fad waned. By the mid-1960s, rock and roll supplanted exotica's popularity.

The distinctive sound of 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. Though there are some standards which contain lyrics, singing is rare. Abstract, sirenish ululations, chants, vocalized animal calls, and guttural growls are common.

Revival

In the 1990s exotica resurfaced, along with a new category in which to place the genre: lounge. Dozens of long out-of-print LPs were reissued on Compact Disc. The revival accompanied a related swing revival and general appreciation for tiki culture. A new crop of bands were influenced by the classic albums, and Combustible Edison for one featured songs like "Breakfast at Denny's", a tongue-in-cheek title for a song styled on the music of Martin Denny. The late 90s and early 2000s saw additional exotica revival efforts, such as: the Don Tiki group of Honolulu, Hawaii; the comeback of 1960s arranger Robert Drasnin of Los Angeles, CA; and the start of the Waitiki band from Boston, MA. As of 2008, there are a host of festivals worldwide that celebrate exotica music and the tiki culture (e.g. Tiki Oasis in San Diego, CA; the Hukilau Festival in Fort Lauderdale, FL; North East Tiki Tour in New England; the London Luau in the UK; Wassermusik Festival in Berlin, Germany); it is the popularity of these festivals that has also helped the resurgence of exotica music.

Origin of the term

According to a 1960 promotional EP designed and distributed by Liberty Records for Liberty shareholders, David Seville (of Chipmunks fame), a composer/producer on Liberty, told Julie London that the term "exotica" was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records co-founder and, at the time, board chairman.

In 1955 Waronker wanted to find a term that would capture the spirit, and also perhaps, help to sell such music as was in Liberty's best interest, considering they had just signed Martin Denny, who was producing and recording this kind of exotic music for his first album with Liberty. This story has it that Si was doodling and had written down the word "exotic" on his pad of paper when he casually added an "a" to the end of the word and the rest is history. He liked the sound of it so much that it went on to become the title of Denny's first album on the Liberty label.

Thus, it may be true to say that no one actually invented the musical genre known as exotica, though Baxter and Denny contributed in its evolution and carrying its musical appeal to hungry ears around the world; while on the marketing and linguistic end of things, Waronker certainly found a brilliantly suiting term that has stuck since 1957.

See also

Exotica itself is highly indebted to and reminiscent of the earlier impressionist 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.
• Korla Pandit – regarded as the "Godfather of Exotica."
• Beautiful music
• Light music

External references

• The Exoticology 101 Blog studies what makes Exotica music 'exotic', particularly through the lens of Western classical music.

References