Martin Denny
Exotica: The Best of Martin Denny (Rhino) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Martin Denny`s music is about as authentic as those plastic Polynesian torches that used to be popular at barbecues. The leader of a lounge band that played Hawaiian hotels, Denny came up with a sound that captivated tourists and eventually found its way onto many an Eisenhower-era hi-fi. His biggest hit, ”Quiet Village” (which kicks off this best-of set compiled from several of his `50s albums), captures the essence of his ”exotic” sound, with its mix of lounge jazz and Hollywood Hawaiian music, mysterious minor chords, strange chants and (the piece de resistance) a riot of weird bird calls. Although Denny and his group used a surprising array of instruments from around the world, the music they created with them would have horrified natives and world music aficionados alike. But ”Exotica” does quite neatly express American understanding of other cultures then (and, to a great extent, still today). Everything is reduced to the kind of mysterious, yet ultimately familiar Technicolor cartoon that would have done Walt Disney himself proud. For all that, Denny`s music is perversely charming and hysterically funny. It`s also the perfect accompaniment for that ”South Pacific” party you were planning.
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