Oldies Music Glossary: "Exotica"

Definition: That rare genre of music named after a specific work, "Exotica" gets its name from Martin Denny's 1957 album of the same name, although the fad itself was kicked off earlier, with Les Baxter's 1952 LP Ritual Of The Savage. That album was a musical travelogue of sorts, with the veteran composer and arranger creating a sort of precursor of smooth jazz, done over approximations of jungle rhythms. The result, including the exotica anthem "Quiet Village," was the aural equivalent of the Polynesian "tiki" clubs that had grown up around Los Angeles in the Forties, and for a generation of listeners, many who had been exposed to the exotic cultures of the islands and the South American Jungles through movies and books, it seemed a vacation on wax. Denny's reworked version of Baxter's "Village," replete with real and recreated animal sounds, became a national hit. Denny and Baxter are, together, responsible for much of what is today considered "exotica."

Most exotica attempts to translate the culture of one of three areas of the world: the Pacific Islands (a subgenre somewhat incorrectly tagged "Polynesiana"), the jungles of South America, and, occasionally, the Middle East. Jazz instrumentation is usually featured over native rhythms; bird calls or other effects may be added to enhance the atmosphere. Though usually instrumental, wordless vocals (such as those by the Peruvian wonder Yma Sumac) may be present. It is a music born of the LP boom of the Fifties, when albums were as much as part of a suburbanite's decor as his library.

Exotica is not to be confused with "Space Age Pop" or "Space Age Bachelor Pad" music, which uses odd instrumentation to create an imagined glimpse of future jazz, or "cocktail" and "lounge" music, which are American in nature and closer to prewar pop in sound.

Also Known As: Easy Listening, Lounge, Space Age Pop