Early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work – and that style turns out to be a wonderful fit for Sumac's incredible vocals – creating a batch of driving tunes that swing nicely, yet still have a spooky exotic sound on the top! Titles include "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Goomba Boomba", "Malambo No 1", and "Five Bottles Mambo". LP, Vinyl record album

Capitol 12" LP that features work from 2 earlier Yma Sumac 10" LPs – Voice of The Xtabay and Inca Taqui. Voice Of The Xtabay is one of her earliest Capitol albums, with classic arrangements by Les Baxter, of material that was written by Yma's Partner Moises Vivanco. Titles include "Xtaby", "Wayra", "Taita Inty", "Monos", and "Tumpa". The other album has a sound that's a lot more primal – with orchestrations by Moises Vivanco, and tracks that include "Malaya", "Ripui", "Wak Ai", "Chumbe Maita", and "Karawi". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

The notes say that the album is "the rare plum of authenticity". We don't know if we'd go that far, but we can tell you that the record features Yma performing songs of the legendary Jivaro headhunters! Supposedly, Yma learned them in her "South American jungle-home", but we keep wondering why the headhunters took the time to teach her, when they could have been shrinking her head. Tracks include "Yawar", "Shou Condor", "Aullay", "Sumac Soratena", and "Hampi". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly our favorite album ever by the enigmatic Yma Sumac – thanks to some lively arrangements by Billy May, who gives the set a swinging jazzy groove! As you might guess from the cover, the style here is more in a Latin jazz mode than some of Yma's other more ethereal work – and that style turns out to be a wonderful fit for Sumac's incredible vocals – creating a batch of driving tunes that swing nicely, yet still have a spooky exotic sound on the top! Titles include "Bo Mambo", "Taki Rari", "Goomba Boomba", "Malambo No 1", and "Five Bottles Mambo". CD

Early work from Yma Sumac – with that moody mix of other worldly vocals and semi-Latin instrumentation that made her a popular one with the early exotic crowd. Yma runs up and down the vocal scale, while Moises Vivanco leads the band in a set of crashing dramatic orchestrations with a Peruvian feel. Tracks include "Sunray Surita", "Mamallayi", "No Es Vida", "Ccori Canastitay", and "Kon Tiki". CD

A great little package, and way more than just the familiar exotica moments on mainstream compilations – as your guides here are Lux Interior and Poison Ivy of The Cramps – two folks who know more than plenty about the music of the farther reaches of the postwar years! And although their other collections for this label have gone way out to pull in some totally obscure material, the blend here is more measured – so that you'll get great cuts by some of the bigger exotica names, mixed with other numbers that are more unusual – and some that we wouldn't have even thought to include in such a package – all awash in sounds from the islands, tropical percussion, and even a few birdcalls and chants along the way! The 2CD set features a great range of material – and titles include "The Twisters" by Mel Henke, "Hampi" by Yma Sumac, "Mystery Of Love" by Olatunji, "Jardin De La Noche" by Robert Drasnin, "Mood For You" by Phil Moore, "Alegres Conga" by Cal Tlader, Envy" by Bill Russo, "Kele Kele" by Johnny Richards, "African Bossa Nova" by Ahmed Abdul Malik, "Tabu" by Augie Colon, "Pua Carnaeon" by Arthur Lyman, "Adventures In Paradise" by Leo Addeo, "Dance Of The Nustas" by Elisabeth Waldo, "Pagan Love Song" by Alex Stordal, "Balikpapan" by Jimmy Namaro Trio, and "Train To Ranchipur" by Markko Polo Adventurers. CD

Pure Capitol grooviness – with work by Jackie Davis, Yma Sumac, Terry Snyder, Jack Costanzo, Chuy Reyes, Luis Oliveira, Don Swan, and others! CD

An exotica classic from the great Frank Hunter – an arranger who worked in many other formats in the 50s and 60s – but who's really left his mark with this haunting little record! The instrumentation is quite unique – as Hunter blends electric sounds from an ondionline with core acoustic elements from chromatic log drums, chromatic bongos, alto flute, and other percussion – plus the unique bazimba, which is a cross between a marimba and xylophone! There's also some moody female vocals – ala Yma Sumac or Bas Sheba –- which drift in and out of the mix to evoke the white goddess in the title. Tracks include "Strange Echoes", "Poinciana", "White Goddess", "Temple Bells", "Ritual Of The Torch", "Jungle Fantasy", and "Mist Of Gorongoza". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Dean Martin, Laurindo Almeida, George Auld, John Buzon, Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Walter Wanderley, Mallet Men, Yma Sumac, Perez Prado, Tito Rodriguez, Jack Costanzo, Rinky Dinks, Billy May, and Julie London. CD