Post #491650 by bigbrotiki on Tue, Nov 3, 2009 6:30 AM

On 2009-11-03 05:11, nature boy wrote:
Can someone point out to me a Les Baxter song that has a polynesian title/theme?? I can't find one in my collection.

How about....."Tiki", composed by Les Baxter, and performed by Martin Denny on his "Exotica Suite" album. It'll be on my compilation. :D

I just find it interesting that a big percentage of Exotica is NOT polynesian themed.

I address that somewhat in my liner notes:

Just like a good Tiki Bar interior is built from the flotsam and jetsam of the Seven Seas, Denny’s modern piano jazz not only contained foreign notes such as Asian, African, and Latin stylings, but strange and exotic percussion instruments, and, most notably, jungle sound effects--bird calls and monkey chattering. It was the aural equivalent of the multi-layered taste sensations of tropical cocktails like the Zombie or the Navy Grog.

So what was Polynesian about this “Exotic Ports of Call” concept? Denny formed and premiered his combo and sound in Hawaii’s tourist havens, like Don The Beachcomber’s (at the International Marketplace), and the Hawaiian Village Hotel’s Shell Bar. By this time, Honolulu had become a polyglot melting pot of many Pacific cultures and races. While local Hapa Haole songs portrayed the romantic and ribald side of the Hawaiian people, Denny’s music spoke of the intriguing mysteries of yet unexplored tropical islands, misty jungles, and the “curious and colorful customs” of indigenous folk.