The last couple posts were pretty heavy, so let’s lighten the mood. If you’re not familiar with Exotica, it’s the genre of psuedo-tropical music by caucasian American composers popular in the 50’s and 60’s. Now, I know from that description that it sounds a bit corny, and to some (many?) it probably is. White Americans making tropical music records featuring cheesecake covers doesn’t exactly sound like “serious” music. But it doesn’t have to; it’s fun, and that’s what counts. It is also a very relaxing genre of music, and fits in perfectly with a nice cocktail on a hot day. The big three artists of the genre are Lex Baxter, Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman.
My first taste of Exotica came from Thievery Corporation’s DJ-Kicks mix album, with the song Tropicando by Les Baxter. It is a very relaxed song with some fantastic instrumentation from his album Que Mango! My research into this song led me to learn more about Exotica, and I became hooked almost immediately.
So far, the two albums that have really stood out for me are 1970’s Que Mango! by Les Baxter (with 101 Strings), and 1964’s Paradise by Arthur Lyman (re-released on CD with bonus tracks as Pearly Shells.) I’ve also enjoyed Martin Denny’s 1959 album Quiet Village.
Here are some videos from YouTube for those curious to learn more about Exotica. Enjoy!
Martin Denny – Quiet Village
Arthur Lyman – Yellow Bird
Waitiki – Adventures in Paradise
Waitiki is a modern-day Exotica band from Boston, MA.