It's been a little while since we wrote... but lots of big news since then! 

Thank you for voting for The WAITIKI 7 in the Hawaii Music Awards! This is W7's first win and the fourth for WAITIKI INTERNATIONAL overall since the exotica category began in 2006. We are deeply grateful for all who help make our music a success and for keeping exotica alive! Special mahalos to the two presenters for whom WAITIKI 7 made its European and American debuts: Haus der Kulturen der Welt and Kansas Public Radio (respectively). Thanks for believing in us and allowing us to share our music with the world!

Wednesday April 7 (6:30-9:30pm), we present The Jazz Sounds of The WAITIKI 7, as we salute the swing, Latin jazz, and bebop sides of exotica. Come out to Gordon Biersch (Aloha Tower Marketplace) to enjoy our music—from seldom-heard tunes, like Arthur Lyman's "Leis of Jazz," or Lee Morgan's "Totem Pole," to originals of our own—there'll be something for everyone, exotica fans old and new. Not to mention our favorite Martin Denny arrangements, like "Black Orchid," and "Quiet Village," which are just too good to pass up! Many thanks to Robert Shinoda, curator of the Gordon Biersch Jazz Wednesdays series, for hosting us. 

On Friday April 9 (9:30pm-1am), meet The WAITIKI 7 at FRESH Cafe/Warehouse, and groove the night away to tiki anthems-turned-jams guaranteed to make you dance. The exotic beats of The WAITIKI 7 are hip, fresh, live, and unlike anything you've heard or experienced before. Whether you want to dance or just chill with a well-iced mai tai, this will turn you on to the new sounds of exotica: from downtempo ultra-lounge to the heated rhythms of soca, reggaeton, salsa, zouk, semba, and more. Special Guest DJ DON BONGO joins the brigade with his own sultry mix of exotica and beyond.  FREE VALET PARKING. 831 Queen St. (between Ward Ave. & Cooke St.). 

ADVANCE TIX ONLINE AT HONOLULUBOXOFFICE.COM: $15 GEN, $7 COLLEGE/MIL + $3 ticket surcharge. 

Our education initiative, Exotica in Education, launched last September with a visit by The WAITIKI 7 to the Josiah Quincy Upper School (Boston). More than just a show-and-tell about the instruments and its illustrious bird calls, Exotica in Education is as much about the opening of dialogue about the cultural, historical, and social themes surrounding exotica as it is the music's composition and performance. If you know of a school, museum, or community center that might be interested in this dynamic program, please contact randy@waitiki.com. We're bringing a taste of this program with us to Hawaii in April, with visits to select Honolulu schools. Watch waitiki.com for more news on this initiative!