
WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Waitiki 7 hits #12 on the college radio jazz Top-40! (CMJ 1127) #exotica #tiki

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners "Exotica is back, baby. Not your typical 'salsa dura,' nonethless, the Latin backbone is authentic, the musical approach pure jazz. This album is a special liqueur. Recapture your own personal cocktail hour (drink recipes are included with the liner notes) and go with the wave."
Source: www.wxdu.org
WXDU 88.7 FM Durham - Duke University Radio

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Per CMJ #1124: The Waitiki 7's "Adventures in Paradise" debuts @ #18 on the CMJ Jazz Top-40 (4th highest debuting CD). #exotica #tiki

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners "If there’s room for a postmillennial exotica revival, this [Waitiki 7] is the band to beat." -- Nate Chinen at THE GIG blog.
Source: thegig.typepad.com
Continuing my commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Statehood, here’s a new YouTube find (new to me, anyway) featuring pianist-bandleader Martin Denny on the long-running local program Hawaii Calls. ...

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners The Waitiki 7's "Adventures in Paradise" debuts @ #24 on JazzWeek Jazz Top 50; reaches #2 on JazzWeek World Top 50!

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Shots of our W7 CD release party @ Drink

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Just added a Store to our facebook page! You can pre-order your copy of the long-awaited Waitiki 7 CD "Adventures in Paradise" or purchase stuff from our back catalog of music and merch... including our limited-run comic book!

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners
CD Release Tour info for The WAITIKI 7 posted on its fan page. Become a fan of The Waitiki 7.
Sun 9/20: WASHINGTON DC - Bossa Bistro & Lounge - 8 PM
Mon 9/21: PHILADELPHIA - The Manhattan Room - 9 PM
Tue 9/22: NYC - Drom - 7 PM
Thur 9/23: BOSTON - Ryles Jazz Club - 9 PM
The Waitiki 7 emerged from a smaller band formed several years ago by Wong and Abe Lagrimas Jr., who plays drums, percussion, vibraphone and ‘ukulele. That group evolved into the Waitiki 7, whose other members are pianist Zaccai Curtis, woodwinds player Tim Mayer, violinist Helen Liu (who is Wong’s wife), vibraphonist ...Jim Benoit, and Lopaka Colon, who doubles as percussionist and bird caller—and whose father, Augie Colon, served the same function in Martin Denny’s group. While Wong, Lagrimas and Colon are the only members actually from Hawai‘i originally—the others hail from Boston and the Bronx—all seven musicians share a love of the exotica sound and the associated tiki culture, which encompasses everything from art and design to painstakingly crafted tropical mixed drinks (the booklet accompanying their debut Adventures in Paradise CD even includes cocktail recipes from renowned mixologists Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and John Gertsen). Each Waitiki 7 band member is an accomplished musician, bearing degrees from Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory and other top music schools. Their collective performing and recording credits span the worlds of jazz, classical, film music, Broadway and beyond. Wong and Lagrimas didn’t set out to revive the long-dormant exotica genre, but the more they discovered about its unique musical properties and cultural significance, the more they were drawn to the idea of giving it new life. “There’s no exotica scene in Hawai‘i anymore, but growing up I used to go and hear Arthur Lyman, the original vibraphonist for the Martin Denny group,” says Wong. “He was a good friend of my grandfather’s and my father’s. So we were going to support him as a friend, but I think I got that sound in my ear.” While attending college in Boston, Wong and his longtime friend Lagrimas—who had already played with Colon in an exotica-inspired revivalist band called Don Tiki—began to investigate exotica more seriously, and to generate ideas on how it might be made relevant and exciting again. One by one the band that would become the Waitiki 7 fell into place. Read More
Musician:133 fans

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners An album not to be missed! Pre-Order your copy today and secure your first-edition printing.
Source: waitiki7.com
Pre-order your copy of "Adventures in Paradise" today! Just $16.99. An all-star lineup of musicians. CD booklet includes drink recipes by Brother Cleve, Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, and John Gertsen; a 50's style pupu recipe by Sandra Wu; and articles by Jeff Tamarkin (former editor, JazzTimes & Global Rh...

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners A performance of "Bulook Brigade" an exotica-style tone poem written by Randy Wong for middle school jazz band! Premiered by the Hawaii Youth Symphony's week-long Pacific Music Institute 2009. Thanks to jazz director Ira Wong, clinicians Chad Kamei, Todd Yukumoto, Eric Kop, Travis Oh, Susan Tanabe, and Matt Love for helping the students groove with exotica.
Source: www.youtube.com
Hawaii Youth Symphony's Pacific Music Institute String Orchestra and Jazz Band Concert July 25, 2009 Jazz Band, Conducted by Mr. Chad Kamei Bulook Brigade by Randy Wong

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners If you missed the jam session, you can still check out some audio from the date. Thanks to Jeff and Andrew of Higher Ground Cafe for helping us out and recording the tunes.
Source: waitiki.com
Our first-ever classic exotica jam session was a success! We jammed on a number of exotica standards, new and old. A huge surprise: uncle Harold Chang came down and played drums the whole night. Listen to a clip from our jam session of "Ruby" ...

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Second episode of our new video podcast.
Source: www.youtube.com
One staple of the classic Denny repertoire is his original, "Tsetse Fly." WAITIKI INTERNATIONAL hunts down the reigning king of tsetse flies and learn the secret to how Denny recorded his tune. Directed by Randy Wong.

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners The first in hopefully a long series of video podcasts.
Source: www.youtube.com
Lopaka Colon hosts the first installment of "Exotica Show 'n' Tell", a semi-regular video podcast produced by members of The WAITIKI 7, under the auspices of WAITIKI INTERNATIONAL LLC. In this episode, ...

WAITIKI: Classic Exotica for Modern Listeners Last night my parents found a photo of Arthur Lyman and I, and so I wrote a blog post on WAITIKI7.com about my memories of Mr. Lyman. Thought you might be interested in reading it!
Source: waitiki7.com
(This post written courtesy of Randy Wong, co-founder, bassist, and music director of The WAITIKI 7, and CEO of WAITIKI INTERNATIONAL LLC). As a young and aspiring musician growing up in Honolulu, HI, I constantly sought out new inspiration and modes of instruction. My career as a double bassist had...




























