Album Notes

Our next studio album, CAVES OF THE SEA, was recorded in May 2024. Pressed onto 180g virgin vinyl, this 12" (45rpm) beauty is our first recording in nearly 15 years. It will be available for sale at our May 23-25, 2025 concerts at Halekulani's House Without A Key. The inaugural pressing is a Collector's Run, limited to just 300 copies.  

This album plays tribute to Exotica masters—Les Baxter, Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Harold Chang, and Brother Cleve—each of whom has given us the inspiration, insight, and courage to forge our path forward to create a future for this music, the genre that they lovingly gave life to. 

CAVES OF THE SEA opens with Tim Mayer's composition "Cave of the Tarpon." Longtime fans will recognize this track from its debut in 2007 on our quartet album, Rendezvous in Okonkuluku. This version was updated by Tim, in collaboration with Brother Cleve, for the epic New Year's Eve celebration we held to welcome in 2011, at Don The Beachcomber in Huntington Beach. This "Tarpon" was recorded in Los Angeles, mixed by Cleve with engineer Ducky Carlisle, and has been in our vault for the past 14 years. 

Over the years, we've made many friends, some of whom appear on this album. A big mahalo to the GALLIARD STRING QUARTET for joining us on Les Baxter's "Tropicando," and "Quiet, Village!" -- our version of the national anthem of Exotica; to Mika Mimura for playing marimba on "China Clipper" and "Yellow Bird," and to the extraordinary Harold Chang, original drummer of the Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman groups, for playing drums on "Yellow Bird." 

We are thrilled to propose this addition to your already-outstanding record collections. It is the first of several new releases coming in the next two years; each of which are spectacular, if we do say so ourselves!