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Island Exotica - Sexy Sounds of the South Seas

A bit of south seas trivia...from early 1950's and 1960's Martin Denny lived in our  Black Point Property in Honolulu.  This property has been a design project in which we worked to create a luxury home reminiscent of a bygone era where luxury travel and traveling to Hawaii in particular was an exotic destination and a privilege of few.




  













Many of Martin Denny's billboard top ten hits of the fifties and sixties were written at his piano in the living room of this home, overlooking the 7 miles of Kahala coastline to Koko Head.  We worked to keep the original architecture from the homes origin in 1930 and updated its interior design with art and artifacts that showcase local art and Who is Martin Denny and why should we know about him?  He was a media phenomenon in the post war years in the US and abroad.  He was a young bandleader who became entranced with the south Pacific and with his unique and innovative music sounds, blended them into a unique genre that became Exotica and started a music movement that is rooted in Hawaii and has inspired many, many artists.  

In January 1954, Don the Beachcomber brought Denny to HonoluluHawaii for a two-week engagement, this began his lifestyle in Honolulu, and the beginning of Exotica.  The Exotica album was recorded in December 1956 and released in 1957. In 1958, Dick Clark hosted Denny on American Bandstand. "Quiet Village" reached #2 on Billboard's charts in 1959 with the Exotica album reaching #1. 

Here's an Apple iTunes link to a playlist of Martin Denny, thanks to our friend Brian's suggestion at Maximum Value Group.





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