Jazz for an Exotic Lounge

I've been wanting to put together a playlist of jazz for my tiki lounge. Sometimes Exotica, Hapa Haole or Hawaiian just aren't what I want to hear but I still want an exotic mood.
To start with I have...

-Poinciana by Ahmad Jamal
-Canadian Sunset by Gene Ammons
-Slow Hot Wind by James Moody
-Temptation by Charlie Parker (his early version though what I really want is Seattle's Roosevelt High Schools version, NY Strictly Ellington winnners)
-Seabreeze by Branford Marsalis

What's funny about this list is, I really like vibes but none are on my list, and I really like Latin but don't know which would fit the bill.
thanks for suggestions.

aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2013-02-12 21:55 ]

On 2013-02-12 21:54, tikicoma wrote:
I've been wanting to put together a playlist of jazz for my tiki lounge. Sometimes Exotica, Hapa Haole or Hawaiian just aren't what I want to hear but I still want an exotic mood.
To start with I have...

-Poinciana by Ahmad Jamal
-Canadian Sunset by Gene Ammons
-Slow Hot Wind by James Moody
-Temptation by Charlie Parker (his early version though what I really want is Seattle's Roosevelt High Schools version, NY Strictly Ellington winnners)
-Seabreeze by Branford Marsalis

What's funny about this list is, I really like vibes but none are on my list, and I really like Latin but don't know which would fit the bill.
thanks for suggestions.

aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2013-02-12 21:55 ]

Stank Kenton "Cuban Fire"
Johnny Mandel's soundtrack to "I want to live"
Anything by cal tjader
Miles Davis "Milestones"
Oscar Peterson "we get requests"
Antonio Carlos Jobin "Terra brasilis" or "wave"

(Those are the names of the actual albums, BTW)

for starters.

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2013-02-12 23:01 ]

Thanks Lucus, I have some of those albums but I'm more interested in individual cuts that would create the mood.
aloha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvcfCeCLS4

I keep a playlist of Exotica tinged jazz and/or jazzy Exotica on my DJ rig. Instead of listing the tracks I have found (I'm at the office), may I suggest you do your own needle dropping through the works of (in no particular order) Herbie Mann, Yusef Lateef, Bobby Hutcherson, Chico Hamilton, Don Ellis, Dorothy Ashby, Duke Ellington, Don Ralke, Buddy Collette, Dr. Lonnie Smith and even Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders?

From Latin musicians, the before mentioned Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, and Xavier Cugat veer into the exotic on occasion.

There are some great surprises to be found!

And of course Arthur Lyman and Les Baxter often veer into jazz on occasion as does even Martin Denny himself.

Waitiki especially have recorded a lot of Exotica Jazz. Mr. Ho's Mini-Orchestrotica CD fits your needs as well. And I think we are all looking forward to a full CD release from The Stolen Idols.

Tons and tons!

"Soul Sauce","Fuji" - Cal Tjader (I know you were more interested in tracks than albums, but almost anything off his "Several Shade of Jade" album might work.)
"Desafinado" - Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz
"Leis of Jazz" - Arthur Lyman

"Caravan" by, well, almost anyone, but Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Duke Ellington all do interesting versions.

Just off the top of my head...other folks will have a more complete list, I'm sure.

oops, double post

[ Edited by: Hibiscus 2013-02-13 11:36 ]

Andy Bey does two great "Exotica" covers on his CD, American Song -

Midnight Sun and Caravan

http://www.amazon.com/American-Song-Andy-Bey/dp/B0001BS41U

It's an all around great album. Not a bad track on it.

With jazz, and especially with a jazz artists you already know you like, you will often find that EVERY track is good. I don't do downloads and MP3s because the quality sucks, so I only listen to whole albums.

For example, any shelley manne and his men album is awesome, especially this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Live-Manne-Hole-Shelly-Manne/dp/B006A9XRRI/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1360794179&sr=1-3&keywords=shelly+manne

I could never recommend any one track because they are all top notch.

Tikicoma,

Mike Mainieri is a modern jazz vibraphonist; there are some good tracks on there that tend to be more harmonically rich than some of the stuff listed here, but it's still accessible and mysterious enough for a tiki bar. Check out the American Diary album.

best,
Mr. Ho

On 2013-02-13 10:37, Jeff Central wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvcfCeCLS4

Man, that was great!

And to show that this kind of stuff is still going on....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ZkY5g8KBU

Thanks Lucas! Love Pancho Sanchez!! :)

Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't get back earlier, lots of great suggestions and and at least one I wasn't up on. I'll definitely be buying some and I'm still wading through others. Lucas, yeah mp3's sound hollow to me but I will buy from Itunes after digging through every version they have (some are buried). And I still think clean vinyl sounds best (I'm surprised how many people can't hear the difference between some over compressed mp3, forcing over three hours music on a 70 minute DVR, rant, rant, rant... over vinyl or the original dvd). Well once again thanks all!

aloha, ticicoma

On 2013-02-13 11:35, Hibiscus wrote:

"Caravan" by, well, almost anyone, but Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Duke Ellington all do interesting versions.

Recently stumbled on an old favorite musician doing Caravan: The late great Giulio Capiozzo (who?) unknown outside of Italy (in the US at least) but what a force he was. No better drummer IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skiBh2JD0fw&t=1m14s

His son ain't half bad either (far right).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgUP_Lo9IM

[ Edited by: Zinctiki 2015-03-07 20:17 ]

Here are a few of my favorites. Apparently, most of the classic jazz tracks on my exotica / lounge playlists tilt more toward the Brazilian / Bossa side of jazz. So, not quite exotica, but...

• Coltrane's version of Bahia
• Kenny Burrell - Delilah
• David Benoit - Swingin' Waikiki
• Sonny Rollins - St. Thomas
• Horace Silver (or Kenny Burrell's version) - Nica's Dream
• Cannonball Adderly - Everything from Cannonball's Bossa Nova

AK