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The title of the new collection from Cherry Red’s Righteous imprint, Lush Exotica, conjures up images of tropical islands, palm trees swaying in the breeze, sun-drenched beaches, and Polynesian paradise.  Perhaps no artist provided a more vivid soundtrack to those images than Arthur Lyman.  The late vibraphonist and marimba player (1932-2002), born in Oahu, Hawaii, recorded dozens of albums applying his breezy, alluring style to genres such as folk, jazz, showtunes, and pop.  Lush Exotica collects four of Lyman’s first five albums, originally released in 1958-1959 on the HiFi label, on a new 2-CD set. It follows past titles in Righteous’ series including, most recently, Dark Exotica.

Arthur Lyman learned his craft on a toy marimba, playing along to Lionel Hampton on Benny Goodman’s big band records.  He made his radio debut with the toy instrument at the age of eight; by his teenaged years, he’d graduated to the real thing and become a professional musician.  The four-mallet style of playing gave Lyman greater freedom in forming chords, and he pursued a career in jazz.  While making a living as a clerk at the oceanfront Halekulani Hotel in Honolulu, Lyman met a key figure in his career: Martin Denny.

The pianist known as the “Father of Exotica” (1911-2005) was born in New York City but raised in Los Angeles.  In 1954, he crossed paths with Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, a.k.a. Donn Beach, a.k.a. Don the Beachcomber.  Don opened what is widely regarded as the first tiki bar in Hollywood in the 1930s and helped popularize tiki culture throughout America.  (He even claimed to have invented the mai tai, though Trader Vic’s founder Victor Bergeron made the same claim.)  By 1954, Don had relocated to Hawaii where he brought the conservatory-trained Denny to play.  Denny’s group became so popular that soon they’d signed to Liberty Records and began spreading this new type of lounge music, “exotica,” to the masses.  Exotica, named after Denny’s hit 1957 album, was characterized by its Polynesian flavor, atypical percussion, and relaxing, fantasy-inspired feel.  It fit right into the mood music genre and invited listeners everywhere to imagine themselves someplace much warmer and more carefree.

Martin Denny took notice of the talented, 21-year-old hotel clerk and invited him to join his group.  During his time with Denny’s band, Lyman originated the bird calls that would become a key part of his sound.  He played the evocative vibes on the original Exotica, among the band’s other records, before striking out on his own.  This caused a rift between the two men, but the decision was a good one: Lyman was on his way to earning three Gold records, top ten LPs including 1958’s Taboo, and Hot 100 pop hits such as the No. 4 smash “Yellow Bird” in 1961.

Even after the U.S.’ nationwide tiki mania subsided – though passionate fans remain today of the influential culture – Lyman remained popular, both as a recording artist and a fixture on the Hawaiian live music scene.  Most of his albums, including those on this set, were recorded at the Kaiser Aluminum Dome on site at the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel – today, the massive Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort (one of the largest hotels in the world, with over 3,500 rooms).  Sadly, the geodesic dome was demolished in 1999 to make way for a new hotel tower.

His debut album Taboo opens Righteous’ new compendium.  Bird calls and frog croaks pierce the dreamy marimbas and vibes; Lyman also played bongos, congas, and various percussion instruments including wind chimes, timbales, tambourines, conch shells, woodblocks, finger cymbals, castanets, sleigh bells, and more.  He was joined in the first iteration of his group (lasting through 1965) by a group of talented multi-instrumentalists including Alan Soares on piano, celeste, glockenspiel, guitar, and percussion; John Kramer on string bass, ukelele, guitar, flute, clarinet, and percussion; and Harold Chang on percussion, marimba, xylophone, and bass.  Taboo conjured an aura of mystery that only made its soundscapes more appealing and alluring.  It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the charts for over a year, selling a reported two million-plus copies.  It’s paired on Disc One of Lush Exotica with 1959’s Leis of Jazz.  (The collection skips over On Broadway, which featured suites from The King and I, My Fair Lady, Porgy and Bess, and the inevitable South Pacific – all in exotica style.)  This time, Lyman brought his flair to jazz, pop, and Broadway standards including “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Body and Soul,” and “How High the Moon.”

The second disc presents another pair of 1959 LPs.  Bahia featured Lyman’s rendition of the oft-recorded “Quiet Village,” the Les Baxter tune popularized by Martin Denny, as well as Ary Barroso’s famous title track and Percy Faith’s “Caribbean Nights.”  Other equally evocative compositions from Baxter were featured, including “Jungle Jalopy,” “Happy Voodoo,” and “Busy People.”  Sound effects such as thunderstorms, rainfall, and ship horns added to the vibrant soundscape.  The final album on the set, Bwana A, took a similar approach.  The title track was co-written by Lyman and bandmate Kramer, while the group also found room for renditions of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena” and Hugo Friedhofer’s theme from the film Vera Cruz.

These four albums are the building blocks of the Arthur Lyman sound, one which hasn’t lost any of its charm today.  Brief liner notes have been provided by Dave Henderson who has also compiled the set for Righteous.  The albums are available in this set due to current U.K. public domain laws.  Alan Wilson has mastered the audio.  Lush Exotica: The Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman is available now at the links below.

Arthur Lyman, Lush Exotica: The Exotic Sound of Arthur Lyman (Cherry Red/Righteous PSALM23:114D, 2023) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1:

1. Taboo
2. Kalua
3. Ringo Oiwake
4. Sea Breeze
5. Misirlou
6. China Clipper
7. Sim Sim
8. Katsumi Love Theme
9. Caravan
10. Akaka Falls
11. Dahil Sayo
12. Hilo March
13. Leis of Jazz
14. Trigger Fantasy
15. The Lady Is a Tramp
16. Body and Soul
17. Gypsy in My Soul
18. Lullaby of the Leaves
19. On the Street Where You Live
20. My Funny Valentine
21. The Way You Look Tonight
22. How High the Moon
23. Lullaby of Birdland
24. Aloha Oe

CD 2:

1. Bahia
2. Jungle Jalopy
3. Legend of the Rain
4. Bamboo
5. Return to Me
6. Caribbean Nights
7. Quiet Village
8. Tropical
9. Happy Voodoo
10. Busy People
11. Beyond the Reef
12. Maui Chimes
13. Bwana a’
14. South Pacific Moonlight
15. Moon Over a Ruined Castle
16. Waikiki Serenade
17. La Paloma
18. Otome San
19. Canton Rose
20. Blue Sands
21. Malaguena
22. Vera Cruz
23. Pua Carnation
24. Colonel Bogey March

CD 1, Tracks 1-12 from Taboo, HiFi LP 806, 1958
CD 1, Tracks 13-24 from Leis of Jazz, Hifi LP 607, 1959
CD 2, Tracks 1-12 from Bahia, HiFi LP 815, 1959
CD 2, Tracks 13-24 from Bwana A, HiFi LP 808, 1959