Four full albums from the great Martin Denny – presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is the initial Exotica album – the birth of a sound and the birth of a legend – Martin Denny's first album in the Exotica series, and a record so great it named an entire genre! Denny certainly didn't invent the tropical style of easy listening that came to be known as "exotica" in the 50s – but with a record like this, he delivered the goods better than anyone else – by taking away all the too-sweet styles of Hawaiian music, and serving up a stripped-down, jazzy kind of sound! The album features Denny's classic original quartet – with Arthur Lyman on vibes and Augie Colon on bongos – and titles include "Stone God", "Jungle Flower", "Busy Port", "Lotus Land", and his hit recording of "Quiet Village". Exotica 2 is the second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". Exotica 3 is sublime late 50s work from Martin Denny – his third album under the Exotica banner, and almost a deeper and weirder album than the other two! The sound here is extremely haunting – even more freed from conventional melody than the rest, and very fixated on the tonal possibilities that could be produced from Denny's unique grouping of percussion, piano, bass, and vibes. There's few tricks or gimmicks on the set – just a spare and other-worldly approach to music that's totally great! Titles include "Manila", "Mama Iti E Papa E", "Bamboo Lullaby", "Ringo Oiwake", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Congo Train", and "Beautiful Kahana". Quiet Village is an undisputed classic in the exotica genre – and the record that yielded Martin Denny his biggest hit! The title track "Quiet Village" was originally written by Les Baxter, but it was Martin Denny's approach that really managed to send the tune over the top – using spare percussion, rhythmic piano, and just the right amount of vibes and bird calls to give the track a really haunting feel. That approach is echoed throughout the set – with shifting instrumentation that includes celeste, bongos, marimbas, and marimbula as well! Titles include "Quiet Village", "Paradise Found", "Sake Rock", "Martinique", "Tune From Rangoon", and "Pagan Love Song". CD features bonus tracks too – "Llama Serenade" and "The Enchanted Sea" and more. CD

The second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". Japanese CD features full stereo and mono mixes of all tunes on the set! CD

The second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record – and a prime example of the strong Jewish/Latin crossover that was going on in the late 50s and early 60s. The record features the kind of crack cha cha sound that was bringing couples into the Palladium from Long Island, but it's also touched with occasional yiddish bits, like snaking clarinet or choppy percussion. Far from being goofy, these elements actually add a rich shade of emotion to the work, and the result is an extremely complicated Latin session that sparkles with excitement. Titles include "Merengue Mania", "Serching", "Mambo A Bisel", "Sher Cha Cha", "Dates & Figs", and "Sirocco". (Latin, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime late 50s work from Martin Denny – his third album under the Exotica banner, and almost a deeper and weirder album than the other two! The sound here is extremely haunting – even more freed from conventional melody than the rest, and very fixated on the tonal possibilities that could be produced from Denny's unique grouping of percussion, piano, bass, and vibes. There's few tricks or gimmicks on the set – just a spare and other-worldly approach to music that's totally great! Titles include "Manila", "Mama Iti E Papa E", "Bamboo Lullaby", "Ringo Oiwake", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Congo Train", and "Beautiful Kahana". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little set that's as compelling as the title and cover might imply – and easily one of our favorite Martin Denny albums ever! There's a sound here that is, actually, quite "hypnotique" – as Denny's core combo is expanded by some larger arrangements, Japanese instrumentation, and even some cool vocals by the Jack Halloran singers – all of which serve to create these pulsating musical lines that shift and sway with an extremely dreamy quality, one that can easily hypnotize us with its musical magic! The added sound really adds a lot to Denny's core group – and the record has some great tracks like "Jungle Madness", "American In Bali", "Chinese Lullaby", "Hypnotique", "Scimitar", and "Voodoo Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little set that's as compelling as the title and cover might imply – and easily one of our favorite Martin Denny albums ever! There's a sound here that is, actually, quite "hypnotique" – as Denny's core combo is expanded by some larger arrangements, Japanese instrumentation, and even some cool vocals by the Jack Halloran singers – all of which serve to create these pulsating musical lines that shift and sway with an extremely dreamy quality, one that can easily hypnotize us with its musical magic! The added sound really adds a lot to Denny's core group – and the record has some great tracks like "Jungle Madness", "American In Bali", "Chinese Lullaby", "Hypnotique", "Scimitar", and "Voodoo Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of genius – 2 key mid 60s albums from swinging Brit jazzer Johnny Keating – both of which showcase his tightly rhythmic "Keating Sound" approach! Keating had originally worked as an arranger in the 50s group of Ted Heath, but after stepping out on his own in the 60s, he came up with a really fresh approach to big band grooving – one that was highly syncopated, in a choppier style of rhythm than many other groups were using at the time, and which was very much in the snapping mode of the best 60s pop work of the time. This new sound meant that Keating could take just about any tune and swing it on its ear – cutting up the basic structure of the song, and rebuilding it in sharper, tighter blocks of sound. The result is a style that's quite different from the usual big band groove – one that makes for some extremely playful instrumentation, but which manages to still keep moving strongly ahead without resorting to too many tricks or gimmicks. For both albums, Keating's working with some great British talents that include Shake Keane on trumpet, Tubby Hayes on saxes, David Snell on harp, and Jim Sullivan on guitar. The CD features a total of 24 tracks that are a wonderful introduction to the Keating Sound of the 60s – with titles that inlcude "Paris", "Brave New World", "Serenata", "Speak Low", "Listen", "The Preacher", "Hey Girl", "Bee Bom", "My Kind Of Girl", and "The Chihuahua". (Jazz, Now Sound) CD

Classic vocal material by Michel Legrand, an artist who's better known to the world for his groovy writing and arranging for soundtracks and instrumental pop albums. Legrand's singing is quite nice, though – and he's got a sweetly raspy voice that has an honest quality that's extremely capitivating, and which doesn't have the over-emotional approach of other French singers from the time. The record also features instrumentation by Legrand's orchestra, which means that the tracks have a nice jazzy sound to them. Titles include "Quand Ca Balance", "L'Amour En Scie", "Qui Es-Tu?", "Mois Je Suis La", and "Regarde Le Mort". (French, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Mad mad work from the great Nino Nardini – one of the greatest keyboard players to ever grace the sound library scene! This album was never officially issued, but is an incredibly strong bit of "commercial music", created initially for use by radio and TV stations, but just as good as anything that was on the market at the time. The music is a mix of jazz funk and 70s exotica – played on electric and acoustic instruments, mixing piano, moog, and congas into a swirling blend that's similar to the group Mandingo, but which also has lots of other 70s soundtrack elements. The track "Jungle Obsession" begins with a nice little drumbreak, then rolls into some wild bass-y moog riffs punctuated by other bits of computer music. Other tracks have voices, percussion, and even a bit of strings – and the whole thing's an extremely fresh bit of jungle funk! Titles include "White Snake", "Bali Girl", "Murmuring Leaves", "Jungle Spell", "Creeping Danger", and "Mowgli". Features the bonus tracks "Tropical" and "Safari Park". (Sound Library, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

An extremely groovy session from arranger Pete Rugolo – done in a style that's partly jazz, but which also has lots of dynamic range – in a way that's almost in the style of some of the RCA bachelor pad albums from the time. Rugolo makes the most of the interesting format – using the horns for blasting, brassy waves of sound upfront – then letting the guitars step around in cool little ways – sometimes hitting the percussive tones you'd hear on an Esquivel album, and at others going for a straighter jazz approach. Players include Pete Candolo, Don Fagerquist, Howard Roberts, Larry Bunker, and Al Viola – and titles include "Two Guitars", "Ten Trumpets Have I", "Trumpets At Large", "Guitarsville", "Whispering", and "Echoes Of Harlem". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Smoking instrumentals from the California scene of the early 60s – tracks that nicely bridge the space between surf guitar, R&B, and exotica – served up with plenty of sax, organ, and searing guitar! Most of the work here came from the studios of tiny Downey Records – done in a rough-edged, garagey style that's simple, but extremely effective – and a really nice contrast to mainstream California instrumentals of the time. The groups vary throughout, but most of the tunes are linked with a shared production technique that uses heavy echo, straightforward performance, and the occasional spare added element to spice up the music – a really great sound that has plenty of dark edges! Titles include "Migrane" and "Eight Ball" by The Hustlers, "Blockade" and "Here Comes The Bug" by The Rumblers, "Intoxica" and "Comanche" by The Revels, "Space Battle" by Stories In Sound, "Water Wheel" by Chuck Higgins, "Here Comes The Sun" by The Rumblers, "Rosemary's Baby" by Ed Burkey, "Ghost Of Mary Meade (part 2)" by Little Caesar & The Ark Angels, A Week From Tuesday" by The Pastel Six, and "Theme Of Etiquette" by The Hindus. (Rock, Now Sound) CD

2 rare slices of exotica by Les Baxter – back to back on one CD! The first half of the set features material from the album Ports Of Pleasure – a dreamy exploration of south sea ideals that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of Baxter's more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Harem Silks From Bombay", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". The Sacred Idol is a real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes". CD