ISLAND MELE

Gleams in low key Eselu

By John Berger

'New Sounds of Exotica'

The Waitiki 7
(Pass Out)

With the release of the second album by the Waitiki 7, it's clear that Hawaii can lay claim to two groups that are serious and competent acolytes of the late Martin Denny and the "exotica" music he created here more than 50 years ago. Nothing reflects better on a group in any genre than that it shows respect to those pioneers and pathfinders who preceded it -- the Waitiki 7 acknowledge not only Denny, Lex Baxter and Arthur Lyman, but also Kit "Perry Coma" Ebersbach and Lloyd "Fluid Floyd" Kandell, the founders of Hawaii's original "exotica"/"lounge music" tribute band, Don Tiki, more than a decade ago. With its music the younger group also pays homage to tradition -- percussionist/jungle noises specialist Lopaka Colon is a member of Don Tiki as well -- while taking the genre in new musical directions.

The biggest shift is the prominence of violin and sax. The sax pulls the sound much closer to First World jazz. Violin also moves the focus away from the "exotic" in ways that an erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle) probably would not. Saxophonist/arranger Tim Mayer opens "Bali Ha'i" as a duet for flute and violin, then takes the band off on lengthy Latinesque tangent that is closer to "La Bamba" than "South Pacific." Wait patiently, however, and after several minutes the arrangement returns to Rodgers and Hammerstein.

A drum solo on "Firecracker" places that Denny standard in a new cultural context as well.

Co-producers Mayer and Randy Wong complete the album with extensive annotation that explains where the group is going with these new ideas.