Arthur Lyman (February 2, 1932 – February 24, 2002) was an Hawaiian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

and

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

player. His group popularized a style of faux-

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n music during the 1950s and 1960s which later became known as exotica. His albums became favorite stereo-effect demonstration discs during the early days of the stereophonic

LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and ...

for their elaborate and colorful percussion, deep bass and 3-dimensional recording soundstage. Lyman was known as "the King 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 ...

Biography

Arthur Lyman was born on the island of Oahu in the U.S. territory of Hawaii, on February 2, 1932. He was the youngest of eight children of a Hawaiian mother and a father of Hawaiian, French, Belgian and Chinese descent. When Arthur's father, a land surveyor, lost his eyesight in an accident on Kauai, the family settled in Makiki, a subdistrict of

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 isla ...

.Liner notes to ''Pearly Shells'' Arthur's father was very strict with him, each day after school locking him in a room with orders to play along to a stack of

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

records "to learn what good music is." "I had a little toy marimba," Lyman later recalled, "a sort of bass

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

, and from those old 78 rpm disks I learned every note

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

recorded with the Goodman group." At age eight he made his public debut playing his toy marimba on the '' Listerine Amateur Hour'' on radio station

KGMB KGMB (channel 5) is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KHNL (channel 13) and Kailua-Kona–licensed Telemundo ...

, Honolulu, playing " Twelfth Street Rag." "I won a bottle of Listerine," he laughed. Lyman joined his father and brother playing USO shows on the bases at

Kaneohe Kāneohe () is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, ''kāne ohe'' means "bamboo man". According to an an ...

and

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

. Over the next few years he became adept at the four-

mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and propor ...

style of playing which offers a greater range of chord-forming options. In fact he became good enough to turn professional at age 14 when he joined a group called the Gadabouts, playing vibes in the cool-jazz style then in vogue. "I was working at Leroy's, a little nightclub down by Kakaako. I was making about $60 a week, working Monday to Saturday, from 9 to 2 in the morning, and then I'd go to school. So it was kind of tough."

Exotica

After graduating from McKinley High School in 1951, he put music on hold to work as a desk clerk at the

Halekulani hotel Halekulani is a historic oceanfront luxury hotel located on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, established in 1917. The hotel contains 453 rooms in five buildings on of property. Halekulani is a Hawaiian word meaning "House Befitting Heaven". ...

. It was there in 1954 that he met pianist Martin Denny, who, after hearing him play, offered the 21-year-old a spot in his band. Initially wary, Lyman was persuaded by the numbers: he was making $280 a month as a clerk, and Denny promised more than $100 a week. Denny had been brought to Hawaii in January on contract by

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 vi ...

, and stayed in Hawaii to play nightly in the Shell Bar at the Hawaiian Village. Other members of his band were Augie Colon on percussion and John Kramer on string bass. Denny, who had traveled widely, had collected numerous exotic instruments from all over the world and liked to use them to spice up his jazz arrangements of popular songs. The stage of the Shell Bar was very exotic, with a little pool of water right outside the bandstand, and rocks and palm trees growing around. One night Lyman had "had a little to drink," and when they began playing the theme from '' Vera Cruz'', Lyman let out a few bird calls. "The next thing you know, the audience started to answer me back with all kinds of weird cries. It was great." These bird calls became a trademark of Lyman's sound. When Denny's ''Exotica'' album was released on record in 1957 it became a smash hit, igniting a national mania for all things South Pacific during the lead-up to Hawaii becoming a state, including tiki-themed restaurants like Don the Beachcomber's and Trader Vic's, luaus, Oceanic art, exotic drinks,

aloha shirt The aloha shirt (), also referred to as a Hawaiian shirt, is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. They are collared and buttoned dress shirts, usually short-sleeved and made from printed fabric. They are traditionally worn untucked, but ...

s, and straw hats.

Later career

That same year, Lyman was persuaded by Henry J. Kaiser to leave The Martin Denny Group to form his own group, continuing in much the same style but even more flamboyant. For decades Arthur and Martin did not speak to each other, but eventually came together (with many of their former bandmates) on Denny's 1990 CD ''Exotica '90'' and remained friends since. Although the Polynesian craze faded as music trends changed, Lyman's combo continued to play to tourists nearly every Friday and Saturday night at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel in Honolulu throughout the 1970s. Lyman continued to play as a solo act at the New Otani in the 1980s and 1990s. He also performed for years at Don the Beachcomber's Polynesian Village, the Shell Bar, the Waialae Country Club and the Canoe House at the Ilikai Hotel at Waikiki, the Bali Hai in Southern California and at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. During the peak of his popularity Lyman recorded more than 30 albums and almost 400 singles, earning three

gold albums 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 ...

. ''Taboo'' peaked at number 6 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

s album chart and stayed on the chart for over a year, eventually selling more than two million copies. The title song peaked at number 55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in July 1959. Lyman's biggest pop single was " Yellow Bird," originally a

Haitia ''Ginoria'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants, including 32 genera, with about 620 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. The larger genera include '' Cuphea'' (275 spp.), '' Lagerstroemi ...

n song, which peaked at #4 in July 1961. His last charting single was "Love For Sale" (reaching number 43 in March 1963), but his music enjoyed a new burst of popularity in the 1990s with the

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 ...

revival and CD reissues.

Death

Lyman died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voi ...

in February 2002.

Arthur Lyman Group personnel

Recording details

Most of Lyman's albums were recorded in the aluminum

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

geodesic dome auditorium on the grounds of the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel on

Waikiki Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the distri ...

. This space provided unique acoustics and a natural 3-second reverberation. His recordings also benefited from being recorded on a one-of-kind Ampex 3-track 1/2" tape recorder designed and built by engineer (and Hi-Fi Records label owner) Richard Vaughn. All of Lyman's albums were recorded live, without overdubbing. He recorded after midnight, to avoid the sounds of traffic and tourists, and occasionally you can hear the aluminum dome creaking as it settles in the cool night air. Lyman noted that he did not like recording in the dome because of the echo and the outside noise but did so because it was free. At night, after playing in the lounge the band would wheel their instruments over to the dome and record all night. They knew their recording session was over when morning came and the trash trucks started making noise. The quality of these recordings became even more evident with the advent of CD reissues, when the digital mastering engineer found he didn't have to do anything to them but transfer the original 3-track stereo masters to digital. The recordings remain state-of-the-art nearly 50 years later.

Discography

Original LPs

* ''Taboo'', Hi-Fi Records SR806, 1958 * ''Hawaiian Sunset'', Hi-Fi Records SR807, 1958 * ''Bwana A'', Hi-Fi Records SR808, 1958 * ''Legend of Pele'', Hi-Fi Records SR813, 1958 * ''Leis of Jazz'', Hi-Fi Records SR607, 1959 * ''Bahia'', Hi-Fi Records SR815, 1959 * ''Arthur Lyman on Broadway'', Hi-Fi Records SR818, 1959 * ''Taboo 2'', Hi-Fi Records SR822, 1959Listed by Nick DiFonzo as being among ''The WORST album covers in the world...EVER!'' (New Holland Publishers, 2004). As described by Nick DiFonzo (at p. 54), "Arthur Lyman was one the undisputed masters of 'exotica' music that consisted of lush string and percussion arrangements spiced up with monkey calls and macaw shrieks. His album covers were always exciting, usually featuring blasting volcanoes or other explosive fare." As noted by

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

, "The CD reissue ( Rykodisk 2006 and 1998) restores the original sleeve, whose distorted tikified heads were considered 'too gruesome' upon its initial release." The album cover may be viewed

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...

www.allmusic.com. * ''Percussion Spectacular!'' (reissued as ''Yellow Bird''), Hi-Fi Records L-1004, 1960 * ''The Colorful Percussions of Arthur Lyman'', Hi-Fi Records L-1005, 1962 * ''Many Moods of Arthur Lyman'', Hi-Fi Records L-1007, 1962 * ''I Wish You Love'' (reissued as ''Love for Sale''), Hi-Fi Records L-1009, 1963 * ''Cotton Fields'', Hi-Fi Records L-1010, 1963 * ''Blowin' in the Wind'', Hi-Fi Records L-1014, 1963 * ''At the Crescendo'', Crescendo GNP 605, 1963 * ''Paradise'' (reissued as ''Pearly Shells''), Crescendo GNP 606, 1964 * ''Cast Your Fate to the Wind'', Crescendo GNP 607 (reissue of ''At the Crescendo''), 1965 * ''Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)'', Hi-Fi Records L-1018, 1964 * ''Isle of Enchantment'', Hi-Fi Records L-1023, 1964 * ''Call of the Midnight Sun'', Hi-Fi Records L-1024, 1965 * ''Hawaiian Sunset Vol. II'', Hi-Fi Records L-1025, 1965 (compilation) * ''Polynesia'', Hi-Fi Records L-1027, 1965 * ''Arthur Lyman's Greatest Hits'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1030, 1965 (compilation) * ''Lyman '66'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1031, 1966 * ''The Shadow of Your Smile'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1033, 1966 * ''Aloha, Amigo'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1034, 1966 * ''Ilikai'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1035, 1967 * ''At The Port of Los Angeles'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1036, 1967 (compilation) * ''Latitude 20'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1037, 1968 * ''Aphrodisia'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1038, 1968 * ''The Winners Circle'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1039, 1968 * ''Today's Greatest Hits'', Hi-Fi Records SL-1040, 1968 * ''Puka Shells'', Crescendo GNPS-2091, 1975 * ''Authentic Hawaiian Favorites'', Olympic Records 6161, 1979 (compilation) * ''Song of the Islands'',

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cour ...

ASI 5436, 1980 (compilation) * ''Island Vibes'', Broad Records BRS-1009, 1980 (solo vibes with surf sounds)

Appears as a guest

* ''Exotica '90'' by Martin Denny, Toshiba EMI/Insideout TOCP-6160 (1990)

CD reissues

* ''Music of Hawaii'', Legacy/DNA CD 323, 1990 (compilation) * ''Taboo: The Exotic Sounds of the Arthur Lyman Group'', DCC Compact Classics CD DJZ-613, 1991 (compilation) * ''Pearly Shells'', GNP-Crescendo CD GNPD 606, 1993 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''The Exotic Sounds Of Arthur Lyman'', Legacy/DNA CD 417 (reissue of ''Taboo'' and ''Yellow Bird''), 1996 * ''Music for a Bachelor's Den, Vol. 5: The Best of the Arthur Lyman Group'', DCC Compact Classics CD DZS 095, 1996 (compilation) * ''Music for a Bachelor's Den, Vol. 6: More of the Best of the Arthur Lyman Group'', DCC Compact Classics CD DZS 096, 1996 (compilation) * ''Sonic Sixties'', Ryko TCD 1031 CD, 1996 (compilation) * ''With a Christmas Vibe'', Ryko CD 50363 (reissue of ''Mele Kalikimaka''), 1996 * ''Taboo'', Ryko CD 50364, 1996 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''Hawaiian Sunset'', Ryko CD 50365, 1996 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''Taboo, Vol.2'', Ryko CD 50430, 1998 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''Leis of Jazz'', Ryko CD 50431, 1998 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''The Legend of Pele'', Ryko CD 50432, 1998 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''Yellow Bird'', Ryko CD 50433, 1998 (reissue with bonus tracks) * ''The Very Best of Arthur Lyman'', Varese Sarabande, 2002 (compilation) * ''Music of Hawaii'', Arc Music, 2002 (compilation) * ''Taboo: The Greatest Hits of Arthur Lyman'', Empire Musicwerks, 2004 (compilation) * ''Songs of Hawaii'', Grammercy, 2004 (compilation) * ''Puka Shells'', BCI Eclipse, 2005 (reissue) * ''The Singles Collection'', Acrobat, 2007 (compilation) * ''Merry Christmas'', Essential Media Group, 2007 (reissue of ''Mele Kalikimaka'') * ''Hits Anthology'', Essential Media Group, 2007 (compilation) * ''Essential Gold'', Essential Media Group, 2008 (compilation) * ''Bwana A'' / ''Bahia'',

Collectors' Choice Music Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) is an Itasca, Illinois, company originally primarily in two businesses, but since 2010 only in the second. CCM was best known for reissuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs. , its catalo ...

CCM8912, 2008 * ''Arthur Lyman On Broadway'' / ''The Colorful Percussions of Arthur Lyman'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8922, 2008 * ''The Many Moods of Arthur Lyman'' / ''Love For Sale'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8932, 2008 * ''Cottonfields'' / ''Blowin' In The Wind'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8942, 2008 * ''Isle of Enchantment'' / ''Polynesia'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8952, 2008 * ''Lyman '66'' / ''The Shadow of Your Smile'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8962, 2008 * ''Ilikai'' / ''At The Port of Los Angeles'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8972, 2008 * ''Latitude 20'' / ''Aphrodesia'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8982, 2008 * ''Winner's Circle'' / ''Today's Greatest Hits'', Collectors' Choice Music CCM8992, 2008 * ''Return to Paradise'', Classic Records, 2011 (compilation) * ''Eight Classic Albums'', Real Gone Jazz RGJCD310, 2012 (compilation of first 8 LPs onto 4 CDs) * ''Christmas in Hawaii'', Holiday Classic Records, 2012 (re-issue of ''Mele Kalikimaka'', re-sequenced) * ''Isle of Golden Dreams'', Broken Audio, 2012 (compilation) * ''Isle of Enchantment'', Essential Media Group, 2013 * ''Caravan'', Digital 45, 2013 (compilation) * ''Yellow Bird'', Digital 45, 2013 (compilation) * ''Taboo'', Digital 45, 2013 (compilation) * ''Magic-Islands'', Broken Audio, 2014 (compilation) * ''Hilawe'', Vintage Music, 2014 (compilation) * ''Vibin' On The Sixties'', Essential Media Group, 2015 (compilation)

In May 2014, Alika Lyman, the great-nephew of Arthur Lyman, released a tribute album titled ''Leis of Jazz, Vol. 2'' which featured songs and cover art that paid homage to Arthur Lyman's original ''Leis of Jazz'' album.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Arthur 1932 births 2002 deaths Deaths from esophageal cancer Exotica American vibraphonists Musicians from Hawaii Tiki culture Mountain Apple Company artists 20th-century American musicians