1960 HiFi / Stereo Review 5-page article on Exotica (scanned) - Tiki Music

MH Mr. Ho Tiki Socialite Boston, MA Joined: Oct 09, 2005 Posts: 488	MH Mr. Ho Posted posted on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 10:16 PM So, some other thoughts on this posting (again, very excited that this was tracked down!) First off, I think it's interesting to reflect the author saying that all music worth recording had been recorded already! That's a sign of the times: that a few people held the reigns on what was deemed OK to be recorded; you didn't have home studios and alas, as much as amateur music on the market. But, with that comes filtering out less mainstream sound; there was no internet or other large body of people to help vote up and down what was liked and wasn't. Regardless of whether it was democratic or not, on most of these records I have, there is a serious, studied approach to the music being presented , regardless of style. So, the filtering done by the labels and the producers, had more knowledge about music than I think most "producers" do today. Knowledge of scoring and instrumentation, and instrumental prowess were all required by composers (without the repertoire ever approaching virtuosity or self-indulgence) such that the artist's effects were conveyed, whether via Western instruments or Eastern. On the other hand, I can't help but often listen to these records and feel like many of the attempts fell short of trying to present exotic far-away music authentically; there are a few different ways to look at this from my perspective as a percussionist and somebody who plays music from a very wide range of cultures and traditions around the globe: The artists tried to present the sounds authentically on Western instruments but didn't really know the material, or filled in the holes with western approaches to harmony, instrument choice, and especially rhythm, where they didn't really know what else to do The artists tried to present the sounds unauthentically ("Exotically" but not literally trying to be authentic) - an intentional "faux" sound The artists THOUGHT they were presenting the music "authentically" (to some degree) - whether they were or not in reality. The "cheese" factor on some of the tunes drives me nuts; there are beautiful lush interps of standards, and original music "inside the exotica boundaries" and other times, the tunes are pretty lame, and poor executions of "exotic" sounds that seem to me to usually be a result of juxtaposing the wrong instrument choices with a style that doesnt match or vice versa. I can't help but wonder if there was a guessing game going on , trying multiple combinations just to see what would work/stick/rise up on the charts. My guess is that there wasn't that much pre-meditated thought; there was perhaps a consideration for what audiences could digest, and then there was a westernized approach to arranging that music for the recording in such a way that it would be a hi-fi success--itself which is interesting since the end goal seemed to be as much about the medium as the art. Or, maybe they couldn't get the right players - if you couldn't read music, you probably weren't recording back then. With all the talk in the article about eastern music and bringing the sounds of far away places to listeners: I am definitely not proposing that good exotica means "authentic music from exotic places" here; my enjoyment in writing for the Orchestrotica Mini and previously, for WAITIKI, was the ability to combine elements of harmony, rhythm, melody, instrument choice, and culture however I wanted and still keep it under a general umbrella of music called "exotica" that would be enjoyable to the listener without having to "know" about it extensively. That said, when I apply something from another musical tradition outside my own (whatever that may be), I like knowing why I did it, and how I did it - and if I changed it in some way, I like to be able to express that to an interested party at a show, in private, or whatever. I've actually found that most audiences enjoy getting a little bit "more" from the composer about what's behind the music, especially new music, and exotica definitely is "new" these days to most listeners outside TC and other niche arena. It's fascinating to read this critics interpretation of the composers and artists of the day and compare that to my own assumptions. Thanks again for tracking this down bigbrotiki! Mr. Ho Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica and Orchestrotica Mini http://www.orchestrotica.com

So, some other thoughts on this posting (again, very excited that this was tracked down!)

First off, I think it's interesting to reflect the author saying that all music worth recording had been recorded already! That's a sign of the times: that a few people held the reigns on what was deemed OK to be recorded; you didn't have home studios and alas, as much as amateur music on the market. But, with that comes filtering out less mainstream sound; there was no internet or other large body of people to help vote up and down what was liked and wasn't. Regardless of whether it was democratic or not, on most of these records I have, there is a serious, studied approach to the music being presented , regardless of style. So, the filtering done by the labels and the producers, had more knowledge about music than I think most "producers" do today. Knowledge of scoring and instrumentation, and instrumental prowess were all required by composers (without the repertoire ever approaching virtuosity or self-indulgence) such that the artist's effects were conveyed, whether via Western instruments or Eastern.

On the other hand, I can't help but often listen to these records and feel like many of the attempts fell short of trying to present exotic far-away music authentically; there are a few different ways to look at this from my perspective as a percussionist and somebody who plays music from a very wide range of cultures and traditions around the globe:

The artists tried to present the sounds authentically on Western instruments but didn't really know the material, or filled in the holes with western approaches to harmony, instrument choice, and especially rhythm, where they didn't really know what else to do
The artists tried to present the sounds unauthentically ("Exotically" but not literally trying to be authentic) - an intentional "faux" sound
The artists THOUGHT they were presenting the music "authentically" (to some degree) - whether they were or not in reality.

The "cheese" factor on some of the tunes drives me nuts; there are beautiful lush interps of standards, and original music "inside the exotica boundaries" and other times, the tunes are pretty lame, and poor executions of "exotic" sounds that seem to me to usually be a result of juxtaposing the wrong instrument choices with a style that doesnt match or vice versa. I can't help but wonder if there was a guessing game going on , trying multiple combinations just to see what would work/stick/rise up on the charts. My guess is that there wasn't that much pre-meditated thought; there was perhaps a consideration for what audiences could digest, and then there was a westernized approach to arranging that music for the recording in such a way that it would be a hi-fi success--itself which is interesting since the end goal seemed to be as much about the medium as the art. Or, maybe they couldn't get the right players - if you couldn't read music, you probably weren't recording back then.

With all the talk in the article about eastern music and bringing the sounds of far away places to listeners: I am definitely not proposing that good exotica means "authentic music from exotic places" here; my enjoyment in writing for the Orchestrotica Mini and previously, for WAITIKI, was the ability to combine elements of harmony, rhythm, melody, instrument choice, and culture however I wanted and still keep it under a general umbrella of music called "exotica" that would be enjoyable to the listener without having to "know" about it extensively. That said, when I apply something from another musical tradition outside my own (whatever that may be), I like knowing why I did it, and how I did it - and if I changed it in some way, I like to be able to express that to an interested party at a show, in private, or whatever. I've actually found that most audiences enjoy getting a little bit "more" from the composer about what's behind the music, especially new music, and exotica definitely is "new" these days to most listeners outside TC and other niche arena. It's fascinating to read this critics interpretation of the composers and artists of the day and compare that to my own assumptions. Thanks again for tracking this down bigbrotiki!

Mr. Ho

Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica and Orchestrotica Mini
http://www.orchestrotica.com

Post #506977 by Mr. Ho on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 10:16 PM