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1960 HiFi / Stereo Review 5-page article on Exotica (scanned) |
thejab
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2986
From: Tradewinds Apartments, Alameda, CA
|  Posted: 2010-01-16 5:34 pm Permalink
A friend kindly gave me the March 1960 issue of HiFi/Stereo Review, and I was excited to discover this article on exotica, complete with album reviews!
Flickr set
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VampiressRN
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Nov 23, 2006
Posts: 5856
From: Sun City Lincoln Hills (NorCal)
| Posted: 2010-01-16 5:43 pm Permalink
Nice find...will have to read more in depth later. Great pics of Les & Arthur. 
_________________
 "Oh waiter, another cocktail please!!!"
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11354
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-01-16 6:43 pm Permalink
...... 
Wow, what an incredible find! Such full recognition of the genre in its own time has been previously unheard of, to my knowledge!
Am I not right, Exotica afficionados?
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virani
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 17, 2003
Posts: 1438
From: Volcanic area of France
| Posted: 2010-01-17 08:49 am Permalink
Thanks for sharing that !
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11354
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-01-17 08:52 am Permalink
How perfect that the writer of the article worked at the "Institute of Aerospace Sciences" in Los Angeles!!!
A prolific author of crime fiction who took up racism and gun control in his books, seems like he was a great guy!:
John Ball Biography
Born in Schenectady, New York, John Dudley Ball Jr. served in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps and was later a columnist, broadcaster, and director of public relations for the Institute of Aerospace Sciences in Los Angeles.
In the Heat of the Night (1965) introduced Tibbs, an astute black police detective from Pasadena, California, who becomes inadvertently involved with murder in a racially and socially bigoted town in South Carolina. In this award-winning novel and the 1967 film adaptation, Ball's message was “don't judge minorities until you know what you're talking about.” His social consciousness is also evident in Johnny Get Your Gun (1969; Death for a Playmate), in which he addressed the implications of gun ownership.
Ball prided himself on research into such fields as jade collecting and the import-export business (Five Pieces of Jade, 1972) and forensic detail, which was always crucial to the solutions he presented to his crimes. His impeccably researched settings and police procedures are also evident in his books featuring Jack Tallon, beginning with Police Chief (1977), as well as in his nonseries works.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/john-ball/
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Mr. Ho
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 09, 2005
Posts: 438
From: Boston, MA
| Posted: 2010-01-17 08:59 am Permalink
An excellent find! THanks for sharing this.
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 9042
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2010-01-17 1:48 pm Permalink
so cool,
thanks Jab.
Jeff(btd)
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litlgrey
Member
Joined: Oct 21, 2004
Posts: 6
From: Hunger
| Posted: 2010-01-17 4:09 pm Permalink
Joyousness!
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Jeff Central
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2002
Posts: 1618
From: Columbus, Ohio
| Posted: 2010-01-18 05:31 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-01-16 18:43, bigbrotiki wrote:
......
Wow, what an incredible find! Such full recognition of the genre in its own time has been previously unheard of, to my knowledge!
Am I not right, Exotica afficionados?
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Correct Bigbro! What an extremely cool find.
Thanks for posting jab!
Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff
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JOHN-O
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2705
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2010-01-18 11:20 am Permalink
The "omissions" here are interesting.
No mention of Robert Drasnin, but maybe "Voodoo" was still too recent in 1960 for this article. Did this album fly low and under the radar when it was first released? Maybe it wasn't "discovered" until the Lounge/Tiki revival?
Also no Yma, but maybe by this time she was being associated with other musical genres. Or was she grouped into Exotica afterward during the revival period?
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 9042
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2010-01-18 12:13 pm Permalink
I had read that the Robert Drasnin record was pressed in a very small amount.
I think 5000.
Jeff C?
I bet it was probably under the radar of the writer.
Jeff(btd)
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thejab
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2986
From: Tradewinds Apartments, Alameda, CA
| Posted: 2010-01-18 4:47 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-01-18 11:20, JOHN-O wrote:
The "omissions" here are interesting.
Also no Yma, but maybe by this time she was being associated with other musical genres. Or was she grouped into Exotica afterward during the revival period?
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I wasn't too surprised that Robert Drasnin wasn't mentioned (there are probably others who released relatively obscure exotica that also weren't mentioned) but I was very surprised that Yma Sumac was not included, as her records were very popular (at least it seems so because they've been fairly easy to find in thrift stores) and Les Baxter was involved.
I think you may be right John-O, perhaps she was considered more in the Latin genre.
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Jeff Central
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2002
Posts: 1618
From: Columbus, Ohio
| Posted: 2010-01-19 06:49 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-01-18 16:47, thejab wrote:
Quote:
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On 2010-01-18 11:20, JOHN-O wrote:
The "omissions" here are interesting.
Also no Yma, but maybe by this time she was being associated with other musical genres. Or was she grouped into Exotica afterward during the revival period?
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I wasn't too surprised that Robert Drasnin wasn't mentioned (there are probably others who released relatively obscure exotica that also weren't mentioned) but I was very surprised that Yma Sumac was not included, as her records were very popular (at least it seems so because they've been fairly easy to find in thrift stores) and Les Baxter was involved.
I think you may be right John-O, perhaps she was considered more in the Latin genre.
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Yeah, I think the article was written a little too early to include the Robert Drasnin "Voodoo" album. Plus it was pretty obscure as well selling mostly through grocery stores and discount chains.
Yma Sumac, I don't think was ever considered Exotica back in the day. Exotica was still a germinating seedling waiting to blossom in the early 1950's.
I think she was considered more of an oddity at the time than anything else.
Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff
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Jeff Central
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2002
Posts: 1618
From: Columbus, Ohio
| Posted: 2010-01-19 06:54 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-01-18 12:13, bigtikidude wrote:
I had read that the Robert Drasnin record was pressed in a very small amount.
I think 5000.
Jeff C?
I bet it was probably under the radar of the writer.
Jeff(btd)
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You are probably right Jeff. I will ask Bob next time I talk to him. Since he also worked for Tops he might have a more accurate number.
Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff
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virani
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 17, 2003
Posts: 1438
From: Volcanic area of France
| Posted: 2010-01-21 08:40 am Permalink
I don't consider Yma Sumac as really in the exotica genre.
I don't think singers can really fit in the exotica genre. There can be some singings, but music must be more important, and the singings can only be a part of the arrangements. Well, I think.
Although, I love her style, and the orchestration of her records.
I love in this article the phrase : "the educated whinings of the theremin". That's really well writen !!
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