MARTIN DENNY
b. 10 April 1911, New York, USA. A pianist, composer,
arranger, and conductor, Denny trained as a classical pianist and toured with
various bands before moving to Hawaii in 1954. The story
goes that while playing in the Shell Bar of the alfresco Hawaiian Village nightclub in Honolulu, he began to
incorporate the sounds of the frogs, birds, and various other nocturnal
creatures into his music. He also used unusual (some say, weird) instruments to
create a kind of Latin/Hawaiian "exotic fruit cocktail". The recipe
was a tremendous success, and the Exotic Sounds Of
Martin Denny had a US number 1 album in
1959 with Exotica. One of the tracks, "Quiet Village", a 1951 Les
Baxter composition, also made the Top 5. The group, which initially consisted
of Denny (piano), John Kramer (bass), August Colon (bongos), and Arthur
Lyman (vibes), later featured Julius Wechter (vibes
and marimba), who went on to form the Baja Marimba Band. There followed a
series of phenomenally successful albums as Denny's music permeated into the
most unexpected areas. In the late 70s, Genesis P-Orridge
of Throbbing Gristle was an enthusiastic fan. After touring throughout America in his heyday, Denny eventually opted for semi-retirement in Honolulu. He emerged in 1995
to take part in Without Walls: The Air-Conditioned Eden, a UK Channel 4 television
documentary which reflected post-war America's obsession with the "tiki"
culture. His catalogue was revived following the rediscovery of people like
Esquivel! and a vogue for "space age bachelor pad
music" in the mid-90s.