During the 1950s, ‘Father of Exotica’ Martin Denny helped American audiences expand their horizons by incorporating Asian, Polynesian, and Latin instrumentation into his group’s easy-listening repertoire, along with birdcalls and other sounds, spawning a new genre that took the nation by storm; he toured South America and had a residency in Hawaii earlier on, embedding such elements. Third LP Primitiva is a total delight, Julius Wechter’s vibes and marimba contrasting Tak Shindo’s koto and August Colon’s Latin percussion; ‘M’bira’ and ‘Mau Mau’ draw us to Africa, ‘Llama Serenade’ to Peru and ‘Bangkok Cockfight’ to Thailand, the closing ‘Jamaica Farewell’ a reconfigured Caribbean sunset. Strap in and enjoy this wild, mild ride!
During the 1950s, ‘Father of Exotica’ Martin Denny helped American audiences expand their horizons by incorporating Asian, Polynesian, and Latin instrumentation into his group’s easy-listening repertoire, along with birdcalls and other sounds, spawning a new genre that took the nation by storm; he toured South America and had a residency in Hawaii earlier on, embedding such elements. Third LP Primitiva is a total delight, Julius Wechter’s vibes and marimba contrasting Tak Shindo’s koto and August Colon’s Latin percussion; ‘M’bira’ and ‘Mau Mau’ draw us to Africa, ‘Llama Serenade’ to Peru and ‘Bangkok Cockfight’ to Thailand, the closing ‘Jamaica Farewell’ a reconfigured Caribbean sunset. Strap in and enjoy this wild, mild ride!
