"The Forbidden Sounds of Don
Tiki"
Don Tiki, 2000
The sounds
of the tropical jungles are alive and well through the musical magic of
Don Tiki. (And, to clarify things, Don Tiki
is a group rather than a single person. Just think back to the classic
rock band Jethro Tull.) On The Forbidden Sounds of Don Tiki,
the band takes their musical cues from such exotica notables as Les
Baxter,
Arthur Lyman, and the legendary Martin
Denny. In fact, it's not surprising to see Denny
step out of retirement for a bit to help Don Tiki on a few
tracks. It's a wonderful symbolic passing of the tiki torch from one generation
of music makers to another. Exotica, by and large, is not an easy style
to pull off. You have to have the right combination of musical chops and
pop culture playfulness. Too many bird calls and oriental chimes and you
sound ridiculous. Too few, and you'll have the exotica purest lamenting
for the glory days of Quiet Village
and Voice of the Xtabay. For
the most part, this album is comprised of original compositions with a
few choice torch songs thrown in (like the playful "An Occasional Man"
and the sultry "Close Your Eyes.") With an album like this, it's not hard
to say that Don Tiki can hold their own against some the
great album in the tropical musical catalog.
To explore more of the
forbidden world of Don Tiki, check out their website, www.dontiki.com!
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