Martin Denny’s Exotica may or may not have actually coined the genre’s name, but it certainly pushed “exotica” to greater prominence in the late ’50s. This classic collection of lounge-jazz, much of which consists of Les Baxter-penned tunes, is a mellow and cool collection, one perhaps most famous for its cover, which depicts frequent exotica cover girl Sandy Warner peeking through a bamboo curtain.
Its subtle, mysterious sexuality fits the mood, which is one of inebriated island leisure. That’s not to say it’s a very sexy album necessarily, just one with great atmosphere. In fact, first track “Quiet Village,” a genre standard, kicks off with the squawks of tropical birds, which, by today's standards, sounds just a little silly. But that said, exotica is a genre that wholly embraced camp value, so this is merely par for the course. There are a handful of standouts here, such as “Return to Paradise” and “China Nights,” but on the whole this album breezes by gently and warmly, mostly background music, but quite lovely background at that.
1 Quiet Village 3:41
2 Return To Paradise 2:21
3 Hong Kong Blues 2:18
4 Busy Port 2:53
5 Lotus Land 2:26
6 Similau 2:00
7 Stone God 3:09
8 Jungle Flower 1:50
9 China Nights 2:04
10 Ah Me Furi 2:11
11 Waipo 3:14
12 Love Dance 2:31
13 Quiet Village 3:48
14 Return To Paradise 2:21
15 Hong Kong Blues 2:17
16 Busy Port 2:42
17 Lotus Land 3:48
18 Similau 2:29
19 Stone God 3:16
20 Jungle Flower 2:05
21 China Nights 2:15
22 Ah Me Furi 2:34
23 Waipo 2:53
24 Love Dance 2:32
Exotica