Smooth Sailing: Tropical Soul & Latin Flavors
Picture: Joan Smalls Instagram The sunny month of July is Smooth Sailing month! One of tracks is from Les Baxter. He is a pianist who composed and arranged for the top swing bands of the 1940s and 1950s, but he is better known as the founder of exotica, a variation of easy listening that glorified the sounds and styles of Polynesia, Africa, and South America, even as it retained the traditional string-and-horn arrangements of instrumental pop. Exotica became a massively popular trend in the 1950s, with thousands of record buyers listening to Baxter, Martin Denny, and their imitators. Baxter also pioneered the use of the electronic instrument the theremin, which has a haunting, howling sound. The exotica sounds make you think of tropical islands, blue seas and sandy beaches. Some of the tropical ingredients were copied by Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band and more seventies disco acts (that are gathered on ‘Cocktail disco’, a compilation from Dimitri From Paris). And many lounge a...