I first introduced my Palm Springs Tiki Lounge mix on this blog as a single mixtape, but it has since bloated into a FOUR-part series. Volume 2 of Summer Jams is a 4-part series—that is a coherent organizational structure, right? Dig the excess!
For clarity purposes, the term Exotica typically refers to the genre of music we will explore here, and the term Tiki (in a non-indigenous context) usually refers to the overarching “total art style” of Tiki Culture—encompassing architecture, graphic design, clothing, food, cocktails, music, and even to some extent the ideology of the “beachcomber” lifestyle. The terms are often interchangeable.
Exotica is a weird, tricky genre. It is, in many ways, a mid-century pop/kitsch equivalent of Orientalism (the recent use of TIKI® torches in an overtly racist rally does no one any favors), but while the appropriative nature of the genre is problematic, it can also be appreciated as a fascinating, wholly unique American aesthetic. It is an invented universe unto itself. It’s campy, it’s cool, it oozes leisure. Tiki visual style is a mash-up of traditional Hawaiian and Polynesian art with Mid-Century Modern and Atomic Age/Googie design. Exotica is, arguably, a Postmodern fusion music—it’s part-jazz, part-pop, there are Latin and Afro-Carribean influences, and plenty of Polynesian and Asian influences… but it is always ALL AMERICAN.
It is also, certainly, fantasy. A getaway from the workaday world. A suburban backyard paradise for the WWII vet who got a taste for the “Exotic” while fighting in the Pacific. A fancy jungle-themed bar and lounge in Hollywood where you might find Frank Sinatra, well, lounging. A perfect soundtrack for sipping a cold cocktail in a swimming pool on a 100° afternoon and letting your mind float off to faraway places…
It is the kind of fantasy that a place like this series’ namesake, Palm Springs, California, was built on. It is the illusion of a tropical paradise in a harsh desert. It is no wonder Palm Springs (and Southern California in general) became the mecca for Tiki.
The following playlists contain some of the best weird, exotic lounge music from roughly the 1940’s–the early 1970’s (and there’s even a more recent gem here and there), but Peak-Exotica is definitely 1951–1963 (starting with Les Baxter’s groundbreaking Ritual of the Savage LP, climaxing with the mania surrounding Hawaii’s statehood in 1959, and declining with the cultural shifts of the 1960’s). The mixes are also roughly organized by themes, but there is tons of overlap and this stuff is by definition kind of silly, so don’t take it too seriously, man! Mix yourself a cold one and chiiiilllll—
Sea of Dreams
You’re gonna wanna listen to this when it’s in the triple-digits and you are lounging poolside on some astro-turf, sipping on a rum-based cocktail with an umbrella in it.
Martin Denny: “Quiet Village” [Exotica, 1957]
Ferrante & Teicher: “Tabú” [Hi-Fireworks, 1953]
Cal Tjader: “Leyte” [Breeze From The East, 1963]
Arthur Lyman: “Taboo” [Taboo: The Exotic Sounds Of…, 1958]
Les Baxter: “Sophisticated Savage” [Ritual Of The Savage, 1951]
The Beach Boys: “Let’s Go Away For Awhile” [Pet Sounds, 1966]
Martin Denny: “The Enchanted Sea” [The Enchanted Sea, 1959]
Arthur Lyman: “Off Shore” [Pearly Shells, 1964] for some reason no longer on Spotify, listen here
Norrie Paramor & His Orchestra: “Evening On Tokyo’s Sumida” [Jet Flight, 1959]
Robert Maxwell: “Old Devil Moon” [Shangri-La, 1963]
Marty Robbins: “Beyond The Reef” [Portrait Of Marty, 1962]
Jo Ann Castle: “Cocoanut Grove” [Hawaiian Ragtime, 1965] no longer on Spotify, listen here
Jo Ann Castle: “Song of the Islands” [Lawrence Welk’s Ragtime Gal!, 1967]
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (feat. Frank Sinatra): “Trade Winds” [Victor 78, 1940]
Hugo Winterhalter: “Pagan Love Song” [Goes…Hawaiian, 1962]
David Carroll & His Orchestra: “Jungle Drums” [Percussion In Hi-Fi, 1957]
Arthur Lyman: “Yellow Bird” [Yellow Bird, 1961]
Martin Denny: “Love Dance” [Exotica, 1957]
Martin Denny: “Swamp Fire” [Afro-Desia, 1959]
Cal Tjader: “Fuji” [Breeze From The East, 1963]
Enoch Light & His Orchestra: “Bali Ha’i” [Far Away Places, 1961]
Lez Baxter: “Maracaibo” [Tamboo!, 1955]
Ralph Marterie & His Orchestra: “Shish Kebab” [Presenting…, 1957] no longer on Spotify, listen here
Richard Hayman & His Orchestra: “Brazil” [Come With Me To Faraway Places, 1956]
Andre Kostelanetz & His Orchestra: “Lotus Land” [Lure Of The Tropics, 1954]
Ferrante & Teicher: “African Echos” [Twin Pianos, 1960]
Nelson Riddle: “Tangi Tahiti” [Sea Of Dreams, 1958]
Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra: “Blue Hawaii” [Blue Hawaii, 1969]
The Polynesians: “Song Of The Islands” [Aloha Hawaii, 1957]
Jackie Gleason: “I Wished On The Moon” […Presents Lonesome Echo, 1955]
Enoch Light & His Orchestra: “Sunrise Over Sumatra” [Far Away Places, 1961]
The Three Suns: “Twilight Memories” [Twilight Memories, 1960]
Jungle Madness
Float away to some far off jungle as you crank this up in your suburban backyard, sip a Mai-Tai n’ throw some teriyaki shrimp on the Bar-B.
Martin Denny: “Jungle Madness” [Hypnotique, 1958]
Tak Shindo: “Bali Ha’i” [Brass and Bamboo, 1959]
Robert Drasnin: “Chant Of The Moon” [Voodoo!, 1959]
Les Baxter: “Simba” [Tamboo!, 1955]
Henry Mancini: “Lujon” [Mr. Lucky Goes Latin, 1961]
Cal Tjader: “Curacao” [Soul Burst, 1966]
80 Drums Around the World: “Caravan” [Mondo Exotica (Mysterious Melodies & Tropical Tiki Tunes), 1996]
The Tikiyaki Orchestra: “Polynesian Village Love Theme” [Aloha, Baby!, 2011]
Milt Raskin Orchestra: “Koko Head” [Kapu, 1959]
Chaino: “Jungle Mood” [Unknown, late 1950s]
Eden Ahbez: “Myna Bird” [Eden’s Island, 1960]
Ìxtahuele: “Black Sand” [Pagan Rites, 2013]
Webley Edwards: “Alika” [Hawaii Calls: Exotic Instrumentals—Favorites Of The Islands: Vol. IV, 1961]
The Beach Boys: “Diamond Head” [Friends, 1968]
Sven Libaek: “Sounds of the Deep” [Inner Space, 1973]
Martin Denny: “Exotica” [Forbidden Island, 1958]
Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra: “Sweet Leilani” [Songs of the Islands, 1960]
Korla Pandit: “Poor Butterfly” [Musical Gems, 1951]
Don Ralke Orchestra: “Head Hunter” [The Savage & The Sensuous Bongos, 1960]
Augie Colón: “Primitiva” [Chant Of The Jungle, 1960]
Les Baxter featuring Bas Sheva: “Lust” [The Passions, 1954]
Ethel Azama: “Ringo Oiwake” [Exotic Dreams: Martin Denny Presents..., 1959]
Martin Denny: “Isle of Love” [The Exotic Sounds Of Martin Denny, 1996]
The Nite Cats: “Jungle” [CMP 7548, 1962]
Les Baxter: “Atlantis” [Kaleidoscope, 1955]
Harry Breur: “Paloma Beguine” [Mallet Mischief, 1958]
Nelson Riddle: “Lisbon Antigua” [Lisbon Antigua, 1956]
Ted Auletta & His Orchestra: “The Hukilau Song” [Hawaii For The Young At Heart, 1964]
Les Baxter: “Tahiti: A Summer Night At Sea” [Ports Of Pleasure, 1957]
Elisabeth Waldo: “Within The Temple Of Macuilizochitl” [Rites Of The Pagan, 1960]
Enoch Light & His Orchestra: “The Pagoda Of Pillagi” [Around The World In 80 Days, 1957]
Eden Ahbez: “Full Moon” [Eden’s Island, 1960]
Pagan Festival
This one’s slightly more focused on campy, orientalist cultural appropriation, so brace yourself—pour a strong one in a mug fashioned after your favorite stone god and suspend your political correctness for an escape into a fantasy of faraway lands.
Dominic Frontiere & His Orchestra: “Festival” [Pagan Festival: An Exotic Love Ritual For Orchestra, 1959]
Markko Polo Adventurers: “Rain In Rangoon” [Orienta, 1959]
Martin Denny: “Lotus Land” [Exotica, 1957]
Robert Drasnin: “Enchantment” [Voodoo!, 1959]
Martin Denny: “Tsetse Fly” [Afro-Desia, 1959]
Walter Wanderley: “Summer Samba (So Nice)” [Rain Forest, 1966]
Michel Magne: “Sahara” [Tropical Fantasy, 1962]
Cal Tjader: “Black Orchid” [Breeze From The East, 1964]
John McFarland: “The Chimp & The Bumble Bee” [Provocatif, 1959]
Arthur Lyman: “Miserlou” [Taboo: The Exotic Sounds Of…, 1958]
Elvis Presley: “Blue Hawaii” [Blue Hawaii, 1961]
Hawaii Calls: “Harbour Lights” [Unknown]
Dominic Frontiere: “House Of Dawn (Paccari-Tampu)” [Pagan Festival, 1959]
The Sheik’s Men: “Shish Kebab” [The Belly Dancer, 1961]
Ted Auletta: “Makaha” [Exotica, 1962]
Markko Polo Adventurers: “The Girlfriend Of The Whirling Dervish” [Orienta, 1959]
David Carroll: “Harem Dance” [Percussion Orientale: Musical Sounds Of The Middle East, 1960]
Martin Denny: “Scimitar” [Hypnotique, 1958]
Xavier Cugat: “Perfidia” [Viva Cugat!, 1961]
Buddy Merrill: “Beyond The Reef” [Beyond The Reef, 1970]
Nani Wolfgramm: “Polynesian Girl” [The Seductive Sounds Of Hawaii, 1986]
Ethel Azama: “Kawohikukapulani” [Exotic Dreams: Martin Denny Presents..., 1959]
Augie Colón: “Hernando’s Hideaway” [Chant Of The Jungle, 1960]
Roger King Mozian: “Asia Minor” [Spectacular Percussion, 1960]
The Big Band Of Harry Zimmerman: “On A Little Street Singapore” [Bongos / Reeds / Brass, Vol. 2, 1961]
Les Baxter: “Cairo Bazaar” [African Jazz, 1959]
Korla Pandit: “The Turkish Dance” [Selections From…The Grand Moghul Suite, 1951]
Roger King Mozian: “Harem Dance” [Decca 9-30330, 1959]
Nelson Riddle: “Java” [White On White Shangri-La Charade And Other Hits Of 1964, 1964]
Santo & Johnny: “The Enchanted Sea” [Off Shore, 1963]
Henry Mancini: “Bagdad On Thames” [Arabesque, 1966]
Billy May & His Orchestra: “Naked Isle” [Process 70, 1962]
Kyu Sakamoto: “Sukiyaki” [Sukiyaki And Other Japanese Hits, 1962]
René Paulo: “Moon Of Manakoora” [Presenting…, Early 1960s]
Blast Off!
Exotica was always about the escape to some remote locale. So once the space race was on, the idea of a paradise not only beyond the reef, but also beyond the stars began to inspire our lounge chair explorers. (Also this strain of Exotica rubs up against the era of rock n’ roll a bit more than our earlier playlists, particularly another big early 1960’s Southern California trend—Surf!)
The Tornados: “Telstar” [Decca 45-F 11494, 1962]
Ray Cathode: “Waltz In Orbit” [Parlophone 45-R 4901, 1962]
Joe Meek: “Orbit Around The Moon” [I Hear A New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy, 1960]
Les Baxter: “Shooting Star” [Space Escapade, 1958]
Sid Bass: “Malagueña” [Moog España, 1969]
Perrey & Kingsley: “The Unidentified Flying Object” [The In Sound From Way Out!, 1966]
The Spotnicks: “The Spotnicks Theme” [Vol. 1, 1962]
Bobby Fuller & The Fanatics: “Our Favorite Martian” [Donna 1403]
Hoyt Curtin: “The Jetsons Main Title” [1962]
The Voices Of Walter Schumann: “Holiday For Strings” [Capitol 1536, 1952]
Ray Cathode: “Time Beat” [Parlophone 45-R 4901, 1962]
The Raymond Scott Quintet: “Dedicatory Piece To The Crew And Passengers Of The First Experimental Rocket Express To The Moon” [At Home With Dorothy And Raymond, 1948]
Les Baxter, Harry Revel, & Dr. Samuel Hoffman: “Lunar Rhapsody” [Music Out Of The Moon: Music Unusual Featuring The Theremin, 1947]
Jean-Jacques Perrey: “The Alien Planet” [Musique Electronique Du Cosmos, 1962]
The Moontrekkers: “Grandfather’s Clock” [Diamond Joe, 1961]
The Marketts: “Out Of Limits” [Out Of Limits, 1964]
Bruno Spoerri: “Les Electroniciens” [Glückskugel, 1971]
Sid Bass: “Ritual Fire Dance” [Moog España, 1969]
The Jimmy Haskell Orchestra: “Blast Off!” [Count Down!, 1959]
Stories In Sound: “Space Battle” [SS-1001, 1962]
Joe Meek: “Valley Of The Saroos” [I Hear A New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy, 1960]
Clara Rockmore & Nadia Reisenberg: “Summertime” [Clara Rockmore’s Lost Theremin Album, 2006]
Billy Lee Riley: “Flyin’ Saucers Rockin’ Roll” [Sun 260, 1957]
Unknown Artist: “Space Ships” [Music From Planet Earth, Vol. 1, 2014]
Gershon Kingsley: “Pop Corn” [Music To Moog By, 1969]
Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan: “Song Of The Second Moon” [Song Of The Second Moon: The Sonic Vibrations Of…, 1968]
Les Baxter: “Moon Moods” [Music Out Of The Moon: Music Unusual Featuring The Theremin, 1947]
The Marketts: “Hyper-Space” [Out Of Limits, 1964]
Louis & Bebe Barron: “Forbidden Planet Main Titles (Overture)” [1956]
Aaron Neville: “Space Man” [Parlo 103, 1967]
Les Baxter: “Saturday Night On Saturn” [Space Escapade, 1958]
Esquivel: “Magic Is The Moonlight” [Other Worlds, Other Sounds, 1958]
Attilio Mineo: “Welcome To Tomorrow” [Man In Space With Sounds, 1962]
The Jimmy Haskell Orchestra: “Astrosonic” [Imperial X5480, 1957]
Joe Meek: “Telstar (Demo)” [Songs In The Key Of Z, 2013]
Louis & Bebe Barron: “Bells Of Atlantis” [1952]
Russ Garcia: “Into Space” / “Nova (Exploding Star)” / “Monsters Of Jupiter” / “Moon Rise” [Fantastica: Music From Outer Space, 1958]
Clara Rockmore & Nadia Reisenberg: “The Carnival of the Animals, XIII. Le Cygne (The Swan)” [The Art Of The Theremin, 1977]