Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 – March 2, 2005) was an American pianist and composer best known as the "father of

exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same name that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records ...

." In a long career that saw him performing up to 3 weeks prior to his death, he toured the world popularizing his brand of

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...

which included exotic percussion, imaginative rearrangements of popular songs, and original songs that celebrated

Tiki culture Tiki culture is an American-originated art, music, and entertainment movement inspired by Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian cultures. Inspired by Oceanian art, influential cultures to Tiki culture include Australasia, Melanesia, Micrones ...

Biography

Denny was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He studied classical piano and toured

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

for four and a half years in the 1930s with the Don Dean Orchestra. This tour began Denny's fascination with Latin rhythms. Denny collected a large number of ethnic instruments from all over the world, which he used to spice up his stage performances. After serving in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Denny returned to

, in 1945 where he studied piano and composition under Dr. Wesley La Violette and orchestration under Arthur Lange at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. He later studied at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. In January 1954,

Don the Beachcomber Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON * Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a ...

brought Denny to

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, for a two-week engagement. He stayed to form his own combo in 1955, performing under contract at the Shell Bar in the Hawaiian Village on Oahu and soon signing to

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. The original combo consisted of Augie Colon on percussion and birdcalls,

Arthur Lyman Arthur Lyman (February 2, 1932 – February 24, 2002) was an Hawaiian jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His group popularized a style of faux-Polynesian music during the 1950s and 1960s which later became known as exotica. His albums became ...

on vibes, John Kramer on string bass, and Denny on piano. Lyman soon left to form his own group and future

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

sideman and

Baja Marimba Band The Baja Marimba Band was a musical group led by marimba player Julius Wechter. Formed by producer Herb Alpert after his own Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band outlasted the Tijuana Brass by several years in part due to TV producer Chuck Barris ...

founder

Julius Wechter Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935 – February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song " Spanish Flea" for Herb Alpert and was leader of Th ...

replaced him. Harvey Ragsdale later replaced Kramer. "We traveled a lot on the Mainland, but we came back every 12 weeks because the guys had their families here

n Hawaii N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

" recalled Denny. In 1955, the musician met his future wife, June, and married her the following year. His daughter, Christina was born a few years later. "I loved the lifestyle and my career was built here," said Denny. Denny described the music his combo played as "window dressing, a background". He built a collection of strange and exotic instruments with the help of several airline friends. They would bring Denny back these instruments and he would build arrangements around them. His music was a combination of ethnic styles: South Pacific, the Orient and Latin rhythms. During an engagement at the Shell Bar, Denny discovered what would become his trademark and the birth of "exotica". The bar had a very exotic setting: a little pool of water right outside the bandstand, rocks and

palm trees Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

growing around, very quiet and relaxed. As the group played at night, Denny became aware of bullfrogs croaking. The croaking blended with the music and when the band stopped, so did the frogs. He thought it was a coincidence at first, but when he tried the tune again later, the same thing happened. This time, his bandmates began doing all sorts of tropical

bird calls Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalizations) are distinguished by func ...

as a gag. The band thought it nothing more than a joke. The next day, someone approached Denny and asked if he would do the arrangement with the birds and frogs. He agreed. At rehearsal, he had the band do "

Quiet Village "Quiet Village" is an orchestral pop instrumental that was written and originally performed by Les Baxter in 1951 and an instrumental album from 1959 by Martin Denny. In the liner notes to his album, '' Ritual of the Savage (Le sacre du sauvage)' ...

" with each doing a bird call spaced apart. Denny did the frog part on a grooved cylinder and the whole thing became incorporated into the arrangement of "Quiet Village". It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The album jacket was an influential factor guiding the fantasy of Denny's music. Denny's first dozen albums featured model Sandy Warner on the cover. The ''

Exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same name that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records ...

'' album was recorded in December 1956 and released in 1957. In 1958,

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

hosted Denny on

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

. "Quiet Village" reached #2 on Billboard's charts in 1959 with the ''Exotica'' album reaching #1. He rode the charts of Cashbox and

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

also. Denny had as many as three or four albums on the charts simultaneously during his career. He had national hits with "

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

", "The Enchanted Sea", and "Ebb Tide". Denny died in Honolulu on March 2, 2005, aged 93. Following a private memorial service, his ashes were scattered at sea.

Legacy

His combo spawned two successful offshoots:

(of Tijuana Brass and

fame) and exotica vibist

. Denny's "Firecracker" is well known in Japan as the number which inspired

Haruomi Hosono , sometimes credited as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Japanese pop music history, credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop for ...

to establish

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...

; a "subversive" version of the song, according to Hosono, appears on the band's eponymous debut album and was released as a single to promote it, charting at No. 60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' R&B Singles charts. The song was later adapted into

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

's " I'm Real". Former Psychic TV member

Fred Giannelli Fred Giannelli (born 1960 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an American electronic musician. He began experimenting with electronics in the 1970s as Turning Shrines. In 1984, Giannelli met Psychic TV's Genesis P. Orridge while the group was in Bosto ...

released an album in 1991 entitled ''Fred''; the second track on that album is "Mr. Denny", an instrumental tribute to Martin Denny that features excerpts of an interview with him. Denny's recordings are prominently featured in the 1999 film ''

Breakfast of Champions ''Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday'' is a 1973 novel by the American author Kurt Vonnegut. His seventh novel, it is set predominantly in the fictional town of Midland City, Ohio, and focuses on two characters: Dwayne Hoover, a Midl ...

'', based on the

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

novel. This is primarily because the car dealership featured in the film is having a Hawaiian-based promotion. Denny's music is a recurring theme in the Sandman Slim series of fantasy novels by

Richard Kadrey Richard Kadrey (born August 27, 1957) is a San Francisco-based novelist, freelance writer, and photographer. Kadrey was born in New York City, New York. Fiction Kadrey has written fifteen novels, including ''The New York Times'' Best Seller ...

, where his music is always playing on the jukebox in the Bamboo House of Dolls, "LA's only punk tiki bar".

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'',

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

LRP-3034 (mono) (1957) * ''

'', Liberty LST-7034 (stereo) (1958) - re-recorded for stereo with

replacing

* '' Exotica Vol.2'', Liberty LRP-3077/LST-7006 (1958) * ''

Forbidden Island ''Forbidden Island'' is a 1959 American adventure crime film directed by Charles B. Griffith starring Jon Hall. It was his debut as director, although he had directed second unit on ''Attack of the Crab Monsters''. A young Don Preston from the ...

'', Liberty LRP-3081/LST-7001 (1958) * ''

Primitiva ''Primitiva'' (LRP-3087/LST-7023) was the fourth album by Martin Denny. Released in August 1958, it was recorded at Liberty Studios in Hollywood and released on Liberty Records. In October 1958, it reached No. 27 on the national Cashbox chart. I ...

'', Liberty LRP-3087/LST-7023 (1958) * ''

Hypnotique ''Hypnotique'' is the fifth album by Martin Denny. Released on Liberty Records in 1959, it was recorded in 1958 at the Kamehameha Schools auditorium and at the Liberty Studios in Hollywood. Track listing Side A 1. "Jungle Madness" (Martin Denny, ...

'', Liberty LRP-3102/LST-7102 (1959) * ''Afro-Desia'', Liberty LRP-3111/LST-7111 (1959) * ''Exotica Volume III'', Liberty LRP-3116/LST-7116 (1959) * '' Quiet Village: The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny'', Liberty LRP-3122/LST-7122 (1959) * ''The Enchanted Sea'', Liberty LRP-3141/LST-7141 (1960) * ''Exotic Sounds from the Silver Screen'', Liberty LRP-3158/LST-7158 (1960) * ''Exotic Sounds Visit Broadway'', Liberty LRP-3163/LST-7163 (1960) * ''Exotic Percussion'', Liberty LRP-3168/LST-7168 (1961) * ''Romantica'', Liberty LRP-3207/LST-7207 (1961) * ''Martin Denny in Person'', Liberty LRP-3224/LST-7224 (1962) * ''A Taste of Honey'', Liberty LRP-3237/LST-7237 (1962) * ''Exotica Suite'', Liberty LSS-14020 (1962) * ''Maryland Club's Golden Moments'', MC-2 (1962) * ''Another Taste of Honey'', Liberty LRP-3277/LST-7277 (1963) * ''The Versatile Martin Denny'', Liberty LRP-3307/LST-7307 (1963) * ''A Taste of Hits'', Liberty LRP-3328/LST-7328 (1964) * ''Latin Village'', Liberty LRP-3378/LST-7378 (1964) * ''Hawaii Tattoo'', Liberty LRP-3394/LST-7394 (1964) * ''Spanish Village'', Liberty LRP-3409/LST-7409 (1965) * ''20 Golden Hawaiian Hits'', Liberty LRP-3415/LST-7415 (1965) * ''Martin Denny!'', Liberty LRP-3438/LST-7438 (1966) * ''Hawaii Goes A Go-Go'', Liberty LRP-3445/LST-7445 (1966) * ''Exotica Today'', Liberty LRP-3465/LST-7465 (1966) * ''Golden Greats'', Liberty LRP-3467/LST-7467 (1966) * ''Hawaii'', Liberty LRP-3488/LST-7488 (1966) * ''Paradise Moods'', Liberty/Sunset SUM-1102/SUS-5102 (1966) * ''Exotica Classica'', Liberty LRP-3513/LST-7513 (1967) * ''A Taste of India'', Liberty LRP-3550/LST-7550 (1968) * ''Exotic Love'', Liberty LRP-3585/LST-7585 (1968) * ''Exotic Moog'', Liberty LRP-3621/LST-7621 (1969) * ''Sayonara'', Liberty/Sunset SUM-5169/SUS-5169 (1970) * ''Exotic Night'', Liberty/Sunset SUM-5199/SUS-5199 (1970) * ''From Maui with Love'', First American FA-7743 (1980) * ''The Enchanted Isle'', Liberty LN-10195 (1982) * ''Exotica '90'', Toshiba EMI/Insideout TOCP-6160 (1990)

Compilations and reissues

* ''The Best of Martin Denny'', Liberty LX-5502 (1961) (compilation) * ''The Very Best of Martin Denny'',

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

UA-LA383-E (1975) (compilation) * ''The Exotic Sounds: The Very Best of Martin Denny'', EMI Manhattan (Japan) CP32-5657 (1989) (compilation) * ''Paradise'', Pair PCD-2-1267 (1990) (compilation) * ''Exotica!: The Best of Martin Denny'',

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

R2-70774 (1990) (compilation) * ''The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny'',

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

(1990) (compilation) * ''Enchanted Islands'', CEMA Special Products S21-56638 (1993) (compilation) * ''Quiet Village: The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny'',

Curb A curb (North American English), or kerb (Commonwealth English except Canada; see spelling differences), is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway. History Although curbs have ...

D2-77685 (1994) (compilation) * ''Exotic Moog'' (Martin Denny) / ''Moog Rock'' (Les Baxter), Electronic Vanguard EV-906-2 (1995) (bootleg reissue) * ''Afro-Desia'', Scamp 9702 (1995) (reissue) * ''Bachelor in Paradise: The Best of Martin Denny'', Pair (1996) (compilation) * ''Exotica/Exotica Vol. II'', Scamp 9712 (1996) (reissue) * ''Forbidden Island/Primitiva'', Scamp 9713 (1996) (reissue) * ''Hypnotique/Exotica III'', Scamp 9714 (1997) (reissue) * ''Quiet Village/Enchanted Sea'', Scamp 9715 (1997) (reissue) * ''Baked Alaska'', Collector's Choice Music CCM-393-2 (2003) (live in 1964) * ''The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny'', Rev-Ola (2004) (compilation) * ''Exotica'', Rev-Ola (2005) (reissue) * ''Exotica Vol. 2'', Rev-Ola (2005) (reissue) * ''Hypnotique'', Rev-Ola (2005) (reissue) * ''Primitiva'', Rev-Ola (2005) (reissue) * ''Forbidden Island'', Rev-Ola (2006) (reissue) * ''Quiet Village'', Rev-Ola (2006) (reissue) * ''Exotica III'', Rev-Ola (2006) (reissue) * ''Afro-Desia'', Rev-Ola (2006) (reissue) * ''Latin Village'', Toshiba EMI (Japan) (2006) (reissue) * ''The Best of Martin Denny's Exotica'', Capitol (2006) (compilation) * ''Hypnotique'', Vivid Sound (Japan) (2007) (reissue) * ''Hypnotique'', Hallmark (2015) (reissue, non-Sandy Warner cover)

References

External links

The Temple of Martin Denny

Martin Denny Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2003)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denny, Martin 1911 births 2005 deaths Exotica USC Thornton School of Music alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American male pianists Liberty Records artists Musicians from Hawaii Musicians from Los Angeles Tiki culture United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians