The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny - The Jackpot Reissues

The Exotic Sounds Of Martin Denny refers to the group responsible for creating these exotic and strange records. Along with Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny defined the sound of Exotica and thrilled a generation of listeners.

This review is for a new bundle of Martin Denny reissues from Jackpot Records, which will be released on September 6th, 2024.
Titles in this group are Forbidden Island, Exotic Percussion and The Enchanted Sea.
These are mastered from high res digital transfers from the original master tapes at Carl Saff Mastering and pressed on different "exotic" colored vinyl at Cascade Record Press.
Although I was not familiar with these two facilities, I can report that they have done a commendable job with the sound and pressing. The sound comparison of the one title I have an early pressing of, The Enchanted Sea, was very close. The direct to board jackets look very good, with sharp saturated images and original liner notes. They have even given a nod to the original label design!
While not truly an audiophile endeavor, these are fine reissues at an attractive price point, that restore these long lost tiles to the catalog. All of these have been out of print since the "60's
While "Exotica" records of the 50's may seem quaint and campy today, they occupy a special place for collectors that love the dawn of stereo and hi fi. The music works at creating a tropical, far away feeling, that evokes an imaginative landscape that listeners of the day only dreamed they could visit. In this respect, the Exotica records were a passport to enchanted lands and far away places. Hi-Fi buffs and stereo enthusiasts also loved the Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny.

Thank you to Jackpot Records, who responded to my request to send review copies of this bundle to facilitate my review.

the Pressing Matters Amazon Affiliate Links
The Enchanted Sea: (Link coming soon)

The Pressing Matters Amazon Affiliate Storefront
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Reference System
-VPI Scout with Classic Platter Upgrade
-JMW Memorial Tonearm
-VPI Analogue Drive System
-Hana ML MC Cartridge
-ModWright PH 9.0 Tube Phono Pre
-Cayin A-50T Integrated Tube Amplifier
-System Audio Pandion 30 Loudspeaker
-Tributaries Series 8 Interconnect
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-Degritter Ultrasonic Record Cleaner
-VPI 16.5 Vacuum Record Cleaner
-Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-1 Mini

00:00 Introduction
00:47 Personal History
03:22 Exotic Percussion
05:35 Forbidden Island
07:32 The Enchanted Sea
08:47 Conclusion

@jackpotrecords5209

[spencehayashi]

Hey Scott, a wonderful video installment. I have a number of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman lps. Some were gifted to me by my late father-in-law who was friends of both Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman and he was a big fan of exotica and all things Hawaii. Great music like this has largely been forgotten but i still love it and will pick up a few of the Jackpot reissues. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and nostalgic look back at these records.

[waygonemusic]

Thank you for this review! I'm very glad to hear that Jackpot has seemingly taken the time and effort to do these right!

[hamlinsondra]

I'm of an age that I remember hearing M Denny and A Lyman when first on the radio. Always impressed with that genre. More importantly, however, was hearing, in 1966, 'Quiet Village' being played on a 4-Track, in-car tape player. What a revelation to hear full stereo come from car! Since that time, I've strived for great music in my cars. Really enjoying your channel.

[mr.classicalmusic]

Great review! I have a number of Martin Denny original releases.

[djjoeykmusic]

Hi Scott, great job!

Your best work so far 😊

[John-nmr]

HOORAY!!!! I’ve been waiting for you to do a new exotica review... In my family we had Tamboo! (1955) by Les Baxter, predating Exotica (1957) and not to be confused with Taboo (1959) by Arthur Lyman... Sadly we never had any Martin Denny records, so this was good to see... Hope you can do one on Baxter at some point (if you haven’t already), he was early on this... In any event keep up the great work!

[jodygoeler]

I've purchased all of Jackpot's bundles so far, and they've each opened up a new world for me. In this case, I didn't know anything about "exotica" until I played them a couple days ago. The minute I heard it, it sounded familiar and I loved it! So far, with everything from Jackpot, the sound reproduction is flawless and the records quiet. The thing I've always loved about collecting vinyl, us there's always something to discover, and Jackpot for me is a reliable tool in my every expanding archeological toolkit. I always look forward to your posts, Scott. Another great one!

[fredericmorris]

Great video Scott, I can imagine dining at Trader Vic’s with these in the background. More conventional but also evocative of the era are the many Jackie Gleason orchestral albums. Excellent Capitol sound. Quite a few on tape I believe.

[LetThereBeSound]

Job well done Scott! Those reissues seem legit! I am not 100% sure I love the color vinyl part but if you say that does not detract from the sound quality, then I can confidently overlook that and support this effort. Everyone should have a little Exotica records in their collection!

[daver]

LOVE Martin Denny. Have lots of his albums. One on Liberty red vinyl.

[slewiscurious]

I love them. They sound great. Its time to update my Ortofon just to be particular. I ordered Primitiva on amazon. They sent me a used original. I wanted the Jackpot, but now i feel weird to send back because its original 1958. I think Ill keep and just find the Jackpot elsewhere.

[forte]

I live at the beach. These Matin Denny reissues provide the perfect listening and visual environment. The sea glass looks awesome spinning on my turntable. Everyone who sees it wants to buy it!

[robertmorgan]

Hi Scott, excellent and informative video as usual. I’d love to find some of these originals but they seem pretty scarce over here in the UK. I love this aesthetic of a time long gone by….I have to be careful there as I was born in ‘57 and I’m making it sound like the Stone Age 😄.

[johndeuble]

Yo Mr SW…
Mr Denny is not in my wheelhouse, but very good, comprehensive thoughts on the music!
Some of it does sound pretty good sonically though.
TTYL.

[fueledbylove]

Those are very pretty. Have seen tons of used Martin Denny LPs but really have no sentimental attachment to this artist, and was only mildly interested in the Polynesian music scene overall.

I have to applaud companies though, that will go out on a limb to re-issue vinyl albums like these that are not difficult to find in used condition that most listeners would find tolerable. For those who would be overjoyed to score a new, mint condition disc of these Exotica oldies, you just hit the Jackpot. heh heh.

[roncronovich]

Hi Scott,

I streamed two of these a few years ago and didn't "get it." Your video has prompted me to give them another listen, listening more carefully and with a much more open mind. Thanks also for providing the historical context, which I didn't pay attention to the first time I listened to Denny. Since taking lit classes in college, I've appreciated classic novels much more when I understand the context in which they were written, the personal or social circumstances of the author's life, etc. So it's no shock that I would enjoy a record like this more, it's like a time capsule, when thinking about the historical context. At the time, films were showing American audiences other parts of the world that were very different and exciting, but as you importantly noted, travel to these places was out of reach to most people.

Thanks!

Oh, do you know if Jackpot will be giving the same treatment to the original Exotica LP?

[JeffryHeise]

I have some original pressings on Liberty and a couple of Jackpot pressings and they are so much fun. Now, if Jackpot wants to sublease the Esquivel music from BMG, that would be interesting.

[HoomanR]

Enjoy this genre with both Martin Denny and Les Baster.. find it interesting/strange that Jackpot has Liberty on the outside/sleeve but not on the label.

[richardriley]

Another winner. I have a large collection of this music and have done several videos. I have never seen that Exotic Percussion before. Price ?

[audiophileman]

Now you're really getting into the unusual in the midst of the usual. I've seen a lot of Martin Denny records around over the years and just thought of them as being boring mood music, so I didn't buy one that I can recall. They come from a time when the album cover was really made to make the product appealing. Too bad the music wasn't always as great as the album covers were. I may have a Martin Denny album just because I found the cover to be interesting. I don't remember who did the music, but I have a Hawaii themed album with a really nice cover that comes with a beautiful, thick booklet. The package was so unusual, so I just had to get it to see if the music was as good as the overall package. Julie London was another artist who recorded for Liberty Records in the '50's and '60's. I have some of her albums from that era, and the covers could be provocative for the time. Her Cry Me A River hit song from 1955 is quite memorable and is a great example of her sultry jazz singer style. ❤