Martin Denny

Acknowledged as the ‘father of Exotica,’ Martin Denny – born in New York City, New York on April 10, 1911 – was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. His unique brand of lounge music that celebrated tiki culture became very popular in the 1950s and 1960s and saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s. Raised in Los Angeles, California, he studied classical piano but became interested in Latin music as well. After serving a stint in the US Army Air Force during World War II, he returned to studying piano. After he was hired to perform in Hawaii for two weeks, he decided to form his own combo and continue to live and perform there. While his mellow Latin-influenced easy listening style of jazz was often called lounge music, Martin Denny created a unique blend of styles – influenced by his island surroundings – that became known as Exotica. Signed by Liberty Records, Martin Denny recorded his debut album, Exotica, in 1957. Recorded in mono, his combo at the time featured Arthur Lymon on vibes. Lymon soon left the group to pursue a solo career playing his own spin on Exotica music. When Liberty asked Martin Denny to re-record the Exotic album in stereo in 1958, Julius Wechter was featured on vibes. Wechter would soon leave to form the Baja Marimba Band. Martin Denny continued recording a series of beloved albums including Exotica Vol. 2 (1958), Forbidden Island (1958), Primitiva (1958), Hypnotique (1959), Quiet Village: The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny (1959), Exotic Sounds from the Silver Screen (1960), Latin Village (1964), Hawaii Tattoo (1964), and many others. The public’s fascination with Exotica music began to wane in the late 1960s and his recorded output slowed to a crawl. In the mid-1990s, lounge and Exotica became popular again thanks to reissues of albums by Martin Denny, Arthur Lymon, Esquivel, and the Ultra-Lounge series of compilations. Martin Denny found himself in demand again and continued to perform up to three weeks before his death. Martin Denny died on March 2, 2005, at the age of 93.

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