Any fans of Martin Denny around these parts?

[NightTrain]

While working as a nightclub musician in Hawaii in the mid-1950s, Martin Denny created a new genre of music, which came to be known as "Exotica." Denny's sound featured undulating bongos, ethereal vibes, majestic grand piano, various ethnic instruments--conch shells, Japanese koto, boobams, gamelans, corrugated gourds, and man-sized Burmese temple bells, for example--and his band members making bird calls in the background.

Denny signed with Liberty Records and struck gold in the spring of 1957 with the LP, "Exotica." One of its tracks, "Quiet Village," came out as a single in late 1958 and eventually reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single's success also led to Denny and his band making an appearance on Dick Clark's AMERICAN BANDSTAND!

From 1957-67, the Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny made the Billboard album chart 33 times and spawned a whole host of impersonators. Among those imitators was Denny alumnus Arthur Lyman, whose own hit albums included "Taboo" and "Taboo II," and whose single "Yellow Bird" was a top five smash in 1961.

I wouldn't want a steady diet of Martin Denny, or of the Exotica genre as a whole, but from time to time, I do find it a mellow and relaxing alternative to the R&B, rockabilly, doo-wop, surf instrumentals, and '60s soul music that I love the best.

So, do we have any other Martin Denny/Exotica fans at DU?

[Diogenes2]

1. Exotica

Love Martin, Les Baxter, Yma Sumac, not to mention Arthur
Lyman &, in a slightly different direction, Raymond Scott!
 Viva Exotica!

[Capn Sunshine]

2. If You're a Boomer

you recall that one of the FIRST "Stereo" albums was "Quiet Village" and EVERYONE had it when the "stereos" hit the market!
Got into making bird noises while high due to that! Another story..

[RetroLounge]

3. I have his albums.

Decorated my wall in the Lounge with them (and other Exotica albums...)

[Tom Kitten]

4. I did the same thing!

The house I used to live in was so huge I was able to mount about 50 album covers on the den wall...Now I live in a cramped apartment (noroom) but someday I'll live in a bigger place again.

I discovered exotica through the 2 ReSearch books, Incredibly Strange Music 1 and 2, and they changed my whole outlook on music... I agree, it is very pleasant, relaxing music, although best taken in small doses. After those books came out, I went on a thrift-store frenzy, and now have hundreds of exotica, lounge, space-age pop, and "golden throat" records....Some people think I'm "weird", but then some thought that way before I got into this stuff. Other people think it's cool...I guess I just like retro stuff, since there's so much crapola nowadays...

The Denny albums I like best are Hypnotique, Afrodesia, Primitiva, and The Enchanted Sea. But I like all his albums up to the mid-60s.

Here are 2 of my favorite lp covers I had on my wall...