Home » Jazz Musicians » The Waitiki 7

The Waitiki 7

THE WAITIKI 7 Re-inventing classic exotica for modern ears.

The musicians of The WAITIKI 7(also known as W7) bring together a wealth of culture and superb musicianship. At its core are three of Hawaii’s finest musicians: Percussionist & exotic bird caller Lopaka Colon (son of original Martin Denny percussionist & bird caller Augie Colon), jazz drummer Abe Lagrimas Jr., and bassist/bandleader Randy Wong. Exotica has always had strong Latin Jazz influences; in W7, these tenets are held taut by Zaccai Curtis (piano) and Tim Mayer (winds)

Tags

529
Extended Analysis

The Waitiki 7: New Sounds Of Exotica

Read "The Waitiki 7: New Sounds Of Exotica" reviewed by Chris May


The Waitiki 7New Sounds Of ExoticaPass Out Records2010 As kitsch as a Jeff Koons Valentine card, and as camp as a Liberace Christmas TV special, exotica first flourished, primarily in the US, between the mid-1950s and the early 1960s. As the Pacific returned to peace after the second world war, and as the US economy entered a newly prosperous, consumer-driven age, increasing numbers of Americans began taking long haul vacations, first ...

Read more articles
117

Recording

The Waitiki 7, in Hi-Fi Vinyl (Pass Out Records) - 02/08/2011

The Waitiki 7, in Hi-Fi Vinyl (Pass Out Records) - 02/08/2011

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.

From egg-shaped plush chairs or towering cabinets carved like totem poles, hi-fi sound once poured over the conversation pits and cocktail hours of yesteryear. The warm tone and stop-and-listen vibe continue with exotica innovators WAITIKI 7's latest venture, WAITIKI in Hi-Fi (Pass Out Records; April 12, 2011). The vinyl-only release of new material finally gives listeners—die-hard exotica connoisseurs, record collectors, or the merely tiki-curious—a chance to sit back and savor the group's fresh look at a midcentury music in clear, ...

160

Recording

Waitiki 7 Releasing New Album "New Sounds of Exotica"

Waitiki 7 Releasing New Album "New Sounds of Exotica"

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.

New Sounds of Exotica: Tiki Classics Get Shaken, Stirred, and Perfected by the Masterful WAITIKI 7

Take one part diverse players with intense focus and killer chops, and one part neglected mid-century multi-ethnic hybrid music with origins on America's harmonious island paradise. Add a dash of Technicolor tropical dreamscape, a twist of wild birdcalls, and stir soulfully.

WAITIKI 7 serves up this polychrome cocktail, taking a new serious spin on exotica, the musical genre that leaped from Hawaii's fashionable bars ...

115

Performance / Tour

The Waitiki 7 Announce Fall Tour to Support Adventures in Paradise -- Sept. 20-24

The Waitiki 7 Announce Fall Tour to Support Adventures in Paradise -- Sept. 20-24

Source: Fully Altered Media

Release Date: August 18, 2009 (In Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Hawai'i's Statehood)

Adventures in Paradise, the debut album by The WAITIKI 7, is a contemporary re-imagining of the classic Exotica sound introduced on the islands in 1959 the year of Hawaii's statehood. Martin Denny, a transplanted mainland pianist who tapped into the tropical zeitgeist, stirred together several disparate elements, and created a whole new sound in the process."Exotica floats in the zone between soundscapes and an early world ...

"This is the band to beat" -- Nate Chinen, THE GIG

"A smart and swank affair" -- Cory Frye, Under The Radar

"The rightful heirs of Denny, Lyman, and Esquivel" -- J. Simpson, Weirdomusic.com

"Looking backward while moving forward" -- Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition

"Harks back a half-century to the golden age of exotica" -- Jon Young, Mother Jones

"Polished fusion of jazz, pop, tropical folk" -- Nippertown

"This week's best album" -- Alarm Magazine

"Needs to be on your must-have list" -- Westchester Herald

"Intoxicating" -- Pete Hund, GoodNewMusic.com

Location

Boston

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Music

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.