VIA PRESS RELEASE | Jackpot Records is proud to announce two more additions to our Martin Denny vinyl reissue series, Exotica Vol. III and Latin Village, in print on vinyl since their initial releases! These two classic LPs from the “Father of Exotica” each feature original artwork and are being reissued by Jackpot Records for the first time. Experience the laid-back international rhythms of Martin Denny in their highest quality yet.
Martin Denny returns with his loyal crew of multi-instrumentalists that had previously performed on Forbidden Island, Primitiva, Hypnotique, and Quiet Village: stand-up bass player Harvey Ragsdale, vibe player Julius Wechter (also a member of the legendary recording unit The Wrecking Crew), and percussionist Augie Colon, who was called the “Grandfather of Hawaii Percussion.” And of course, the famous cover girl on Martin Denny’s albums, Sandy Warner, otherwise known as “The Exotica Girl,” returns as well.
Although Denny was recording his output at an astonishingly brisk rate, there’s something about Exotica Vol. III, which makes it one of his best and most sought-after with collectors and listeners. Of course, the brilliance of the lead-off track of Les Baxter’s “Jungle River Boat,” with its tight vibe-and-percussion workout intertwined with Colon’s iconic bird calls and other worldly sounds, only makes the sweet, lazy water sounds of the following track “Harbor Lights” all the more delightfully mysterious. So pour your drink of choice, dim the lights, open the windows, and let Exotica Vol. III roll across you.
In 1964, Martin Denny looked beyond the Hawaiian and Asian influences of his previous records to find another place to plant his umbrella in the sand, as well as in your drink: the sounds of Latin America. With this new sound to hang his exciting arrangements on, Latin Village has long been considered one of Denny’s high-water marks, and Jackpot is thrilled to have this long-cherished LP back in print.
This is an album that rips through what was considered “The Now Sound From Overseas,” a sophisticated mash-up of sambas, bossa novas, and Latin jazz. From the first track, “Angelito” (the hit song written by Réne y Réne, later to also be covered by Trini Lopez and Herb Albert), all the way through to its closer, “Flying Down To Rio” (a song which Roxy Music later referenced in their 1972 song “Virginia Plain”), the album is a hypnotic listen.
Latin Village also drops in some serious jazz numbers, with respected compositions such as “On Green Dolphin Street” by Kaper & Washington (which has been covered by Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and Sarah Vaughn), “Malagueña” the sixth movement in Ernesto Lecona’s Suite Andalucía and “Corcovado” by Antônio Carlos Jobim (who merged samba with jazz to create bossa nova).
Latin Village is comforting in its familiarity within Denny’s sonic world, but steps refreshingly out of the smoke-filled Tiki bars of his previous records and straight into the sunlight where this music still strolls around in a listener’s heart, soul, and mind.
