Hand Percussionists in Tampa/St. Pete for Working Exotica Group

Greetings -

My exotica group is starting to gig around Tampa and St. Pete. We have piano, vibes/marimba, upright bass, and percussion. We're looking for a second percussionist.

We have some fairly high profile gigs lined up already.

We're going for a very authentic Cal Tjader/Martin Denny/Les Baxter type of sound. We're doing originals, jazz standards with a latin treatment, original arrangements, and recreations of arrangements from records.

Really looking for someone who GETS IT. Will consider traps if it's the right player.

Send me a PM.

OnyaBirri

Do you have anything we can listen to?

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

We have a (rough) demo we did a few months back. All covers, doing Cal Tjader's "Black Orchid," Robert Drasnin's "Orinoco" and a latin/exotic version of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints." We're going to start focusing on originals soon.

I just registered a myspace site. As soon as I get the demos up, I'll report back.

Thanks for your interest. NOW WHERE ARE THOSE DRUMMERS I'M LOOKING FOR???

:wink:

I hope you get who you need. It would be great to have some more exotica music around Tampa.

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2008-07-04 13:49 ]

I can hook you up with a place to record, and plenty of studio musicians, I'd love to fill the spot, but my schedule in the studio would be too conflicting with the band. I use some top notch session players in here, but they ain't cheep. I had Joe Lala (played with Blues Experience as a drummer and done conga/bongo work for Crosby Stills & Nash, Bee Gee's, and just about anyone else recording in the 70's) for conga/bongo work on my project, examples at:

http://www.mindshaftmusic.com/exotica_project.htm

I can get you in touch with him, and he kicks ass! A regular Mr. one take. I'm in Holiday (north Tarpon Springs), I play MANY percussive devices, and have a great place to cut tracks, and the engineering experience to get that "vintage" sound from modern gear if that helps, but I don't think I could do a full on 3 day a week band thing, unless I could cut out sleep.

Best of luck,

Tiki Bill.

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2008-07-04 21:53 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2008-07-04 21:55 ]

Thanks Tiki Bill. Could you do a once every few weeks band thing if I e-mailed scans of lead sheets and mp3 files?

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2008-07-06 09:50 ]

I used to live in Tampa back in the '90's and would have loved to have a band like you describe around back then. I pretty much kick started the whole Tampa Lounge scene with my DJ collective, The Deep Lounge Experience, at The Castle, The Rubb, and Frankie's Patio in Ybor City. It was a fun scene while it lasted. Later though my Lounge Music offerings were eclipsed by the "Swing" movement and while I had some fun putting those gigs together, at the Masquerade, SugarPalm Club, and Storman's Palace the narrow dance-centered playlists and tastes of that crowd eventually became far too constricting for my eclectic proclivities, but, man, those swing gigs sure payed well!

But I ramble... I hope you get this band up and running to your satisfaction! I'll notify my ol' skool lounge posse to be on the lookout.

Keep me posted, I'm in the area a couple times a year and would LOVE to check you guys out.

My friend, Dadia, who runs Orbit 19 Lounge/Universal Liquors up in Holiday FL. on US 19, is a HUGE tiki-phile. If you get your act together, she'd most likely give you a gig, probably throwing an exotica flavored theme party around it!

Good Luck!

[ Edited by: kountzyro 2008-07-06 14:15 ]

Bill - DO IT ! - Make the time. Playing Exotica is such a nice and different animal than playing pop and rock stuff.

It's not that I don't want to, I'd LOVE to. I just don't want to piss off anybody because I have to blow off a show after getting a $5,000.00 TV job and "the client wants it now" kind of thing. I'd like to hear what you have so far. I don't have congas, but I have a trap kit, a xylophone, shakers, gueros, claves, etc. The 16 year old in my head says "DO IT DUDE!", but the 41 year old in my head says "Don't make commitments you can't keep young man!".
Give me a holler, 727-492-3113. Let's see whats up.

Tiki Bill