Date: July 12th 2010

Aloha WAITIKI fans!

Great to meet so many of you at the Hukilau and Ohana: Luau At The Lake festivals we've attended this summer. We like putting faces to screennames just as much as putting back a Chee-Hoo Fizz or two. Here are some music and cocktail updates from the world o' Okonkuluku ...

 

WAITIKI 7 Ignites The Radio Dial

Not only is our newest release New Sounds of Exotica holding steady at #6 on JazzWeek World, but 2009's Adventures in Paradise is chartbound as well. Totally awesome to see TWO exotica albums on the charts and getting major airplay across North America. We are being spun in heavy rotation everywhere: on major market stations, syndicated shows, internet radio, indie stations, and your home tiki bar. To see how we stack up with other major world artists, visit The WAITIKI 7's Facebook page and see our "Radio Charts" photo album. Thanks for your support and keep requesting The WAITIKI 7!

 

Video: Harold Chang & The WAITIKI 7

Our "Sounds of Exotica Lounge" show back in April was a huge success, in large part to a collaboration with Harold Chang (former percussionist of the original Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman groups). Uncle Harold, as we call him, took some blazing solos on bongos, congas, bird calls—hallmarks of exotica that he and Augie Colon created back in the '50s. Check out these two videos of Uncle Harold performing and soloing with us:

"Cave of Uldo" at Fresh Café - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ2w59zuPbs

"Rendezvous in Okonkuluku" at Fresh Café - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svESPwruDc

 

Our Chee-Hoo Fizz Cocktail Makes It To Paris

Belated congratulations and mahalos are in store for master bartender, mixology historian, and and TED presenter John Gertsen. John—who has championed tiki mixology in Boston through weekly Tiki Sundays at his bar Drink—traveled to Paris last month for the 2010 international Cocktails Spirits expo. John spoke about the Boston cocktail revival, the success of Drink, and the rise of home mixologists in America; to which he demo'd two cocktails, one of which was Randy Wong's Chee-Hoo Fizz, a tiki-style fizz based on the classic Japanese cocktail. Our sincere thanks to John for including a tiki drink in his presentation!

 

Check out excerpts of John's presentation online at Viddler:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jrgmyr/videos/4/

The Chee-Hoo Fizz segment starts around 12:15, but really you should watch the whole thing!

 

More Reviews for New Sounds of Exotica

"If WAITIKI 7 doesn't appear on every episode of Hawaii Five-O or score a residency in Waikiki, I'll be disappointed."—Giant Robot #66

"The septet's gorgeous melodies do more than renew a bygone genre. Its radiant brand of exotica crosses into Latin jazz with just as much poise and dexterity, often melding the two."—ALARM Magazine

"Four Stars" —Chuck Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service

 

Introducing WAITIKI's Kahiki Serenaders: Vintage '20s-'30s Hawaiian & Hapa-Haole Music Meets The Sound of Exotica.

THE KAHIKI SERENADERS are the newest group to be added to our award-winning and internationally-acclaimed artist roster. The Kahiki Serenaders bring back the music of Hawaii's golden age, when transpacific steamships docked at Aloha Tower and passengers were greeted by the Boat Day wahine of downtown Honolulu.

Paying deep respect to the classic hapa-haole tunes (songs with primarily English lyrics, set to Hawaiian melodies and jazz harmonies) of Sol Hoopii, Andrew Aiona, and early Gabby Pahinui—as well as songs by R. Alex Anderson, Harry Owens, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and others—The Kahiki Serenaders set sail on their own course with a stellar line-up: Greg Paré, vibes; Rusty Scott, piano; Keala Kaumeheiwa, upright bass; and Drank Sumatra, drums.

Check them out on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMqU1tuPvxI and "Like" them on their Facebook Page! An internet-only album is planned, so stay tuned...

 

From the WAITIKI Cocktail Journal

The first two of this month's cocktail recipes come from the Room Bar we hosted at Ohana a few weeks ago. Our room featured Cape Verdean Grogue, which is similar to Martinique agricole rums in taste and distillation process. We highlighted two such grogues in our recipes, the Nova (unaged) and the Velha (aged), both from the distillary Santo Antao. We get our grogues from Jerry's Liquors in Somerville, MA. If you can't find grogue in your hometown, try a Rhum Barbancourt. (Substitute the Barbancourt white for the Nova and the 3-star for the Velha). All recipes here created by WAITIKI mixologist Randy Wong.

ORCHARD DE PAÚL

(Paúl is the village where Santo Antao grogues are distilled). 1.5 oz Santo Antao Nova
0.5 oz Lillet
0.5 oz Chambord
0.5 oz fresh oj
0.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
0.5 oz fresh lime juice

Shake, double strain, serve over crushed ice in a DOF. Garnish with a Luxardo marasca cherry on a toothpick and smile!

GROGUE DRY TAI

1.0 oz Santo Antao Velha
1.0 oz Lemon Hart 80
1.0 oz Orgeat (we used Ferrara)
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.50 oz curacao

Shake, double strain, serve "up" in a chilled cocktail glass.

This last recipe began life as a virgin (non-alcoholic) drink, perfect as a summertime cooler or when you return from a tiki festival with 3 pounds too many limes!

OLD SPICE COCKTAIL

2.0 oz. fresh lime juice
0.5 oz. cardamom simple syrup
0.5 oz. grenadine
1 bar spoon table sugar
Dash Angostura bitters

Shake & strain into a DOF glass with crushed ice. Fill to top with soda, add bitters and swizzle. To make the cardamom simple syrup: Muddle 1/4 c. cardamom in a sauce pan and toast lightly. Add 1 c. water and 1 lb. sugar; stir over low heat and let cool.

For an alcoholic version, add 0.5 oz. allspice dram to the recipe. Mahalo to Cleve and Brynn for helping hone this recipe last night!

 

Video: Hawaii Music Award Presentation

Music Foundation of Hawai'i sent executive producer Johnny Kai to present The WAITIKI 7 with an award for Exotica Album of the Year for "Adventures in Paradise," which we released last August. As a token of our appreciation, we performed the venerable hit "Quiet Village."

See us getting the award, and hear Quiet Village at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7eUsG9M00

 

See You at Tiki Oasis!

If you're hankerin for some WAITIKI in LP, CD, comic book, or butter (yes! the fruit butters!)-form, stop by our booth at this summer's Tiki Oasis, August 19-22. We'll be sharing a table with the legendary Richard Cheese, who also has a new tiki album out. Stop by and say okonkuluku!

MAHALO FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF EXOTICA MUSIC & TIKI COCKTAILS DONE RIGHT!

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The WAITIKI 7: www.waitiki7.com