Album Notes

Modern Exotica ensemble The WAITIKI 7 is proud to announce their new album, Exotica Reborn: In Studio and Live at House Without A Key, will be released on August 29, 2025.

The album was recorded at Island Sound Studios in Honolulu and during two electrifying live performances at the legendary Halekulani Hotel’s House Without A Key restaurant in Waikiki.

Marking the band’s first studio recording since 2011, and the first live recording from Halekulani since 1965, Exotica Reborn captures the enthralling and sounds of The WAITIKI 7. The band is composed of seven top-call musicians, and is comprised of flutist/saxophonist Tim Mayer, GRAMMY-winning Latin jazz pianist Zaccai Curtis, violinist Helen Liu, vibraphonist Jim Benoit, drummer Abe Lagrimas Jr., bassist/bandleader Randy Wong, and percussionist/birdcaller Augie “Lopaka” Colón Jr. Also appearing on the album are the Galliard String Quartet, marimbaist Mika Mimura, and 97-year old drummer Harold Chang, who recorded on the original Exotica records of the 1950s and 1960s with Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman.

Exotica music, which first emerged during the Golden Age of Waikiki, was pioneered by virtuoso pianist Martin Denny and vibraphonist Arthur Lyman. Their groundbreaking albums Exotica andTaboo ignited a cultural phenomenon, drawing inspiration from the diverse ethnic influences present in post-World War II Hawaiʻi.

Denny and Lyman went on to introduce Exotica to a global audience, gracing major television programs like American Bandstand, The Andy Williams Show, and The Steve Allen Show. Denny’s 1959 hit "Quiet Village" soared to #4 on Billboard’s charts, while his album Exotica claimed the #1 spot. Lyman’s "Yellow Bird" followed suit in 1961, reaching #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

With its lush instrumentation and atmospheric soundscapes, Exotica became the quintessential backdrop for bachelor pads, tiki bars, and jet-set fantasies—transporting listeners to faraway places with a single note.

The WAITIKI 7 has dedicated the last two decades to keeping the Exotica tradition alive, which is no small feat. True performance of Exotica music requires a high level of virtuosity, finesse: scholarship and understanding of the jazz & folkloric traditions that contributed to its mid century sound and vocabulary, as well as a high degree of compositional, orchestration, and reading skills.

To develop the band’s precisely-coded sound while creating a platform for improvisation, the band turns mainly to its reedman, Tim Mayer, whose recent work with the Orquesta Nacional de Jazz de Mexico reintroduced space age pop composer Juan Garcia Esquivel to Mexican audiences. As Exotica also draws heavily on clave-based Afro-Cuban jazz and cha-cha-chá, pianist Zaccai Curtis—recognized for his own project, Cubop Lives—provides a healthy dose of artistic & historical insight with his colorful montuno & guajeo. Violinist Helen Liu, and vibraphonist Jim Benoit, of the Hawaii and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras, respectively, brilliantly add to the group’s orchestral-yet-chamber sound.

The band also has several ties to the original musicians who progenated the genre. Bassist and Bandleader Randy Wong was introduced to Exotica by Arthur Lyman; drummer Abe Lagrimas Jr. performed with Martin Denny, and percussionist/bird caller Lopaka Colón vocally produces the same bird & animal calls that his father, Augie Colón Sr. (who was a game hunter from the island Molokaʻi) brought to Exotica music. The band worked extensively with former CBS Music supervisor Robert Drasnin, Boston-based producer Brother Cleve, and Retro Cocktail Hour creator Darrell Brogdon to develop its literacies around mid century lounge music, pop culture, and the related aesthetics.

From its debut in 2007 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s Festival Wassermusik, to performances for Exotica aficionados across the country, the band’s repertoire includes classics from the Exotica records of the yesteryear and newly composed originals. And, over the past three years, the band has championed the genre’s triumphant return to Waikiki through live performances at House Without A Key, bringing Exotica back to its legendary roots.

“Exotica music brought Hawaiʻi’s jazz musicians to the world stage,” says Randy Wong, bassist and leader of WAITIKI 7. “It’s a cultural tapestry—an artistic interpretation of the melting pot that makes Hawaiʻi so special. The live performances are ‘lightning in a bottle,’ and we’re honored to contribute to the legacy of live music in Waikiki, and especially at the Halekulani.”

With Exotica Reborn, WAITIKI 7 reaffirms Exotica’s place in the fabric of Hawaiʻi’s musical history, ensuring that its mesmerizing rhythms continue to captivate audiences for generationsto come.

Beyond its musical magic, Exotica Reborn is also available for vinyl collectors as two separate 12-inch, 180g virgin vinyl records. Each record and package was designed for the band by Waikiki-based graphics design firm Commuter Industries.

The studio tracks comprise a 45rpm record titled Caves of the Sea, which features a collectible black and transparent highlighter yellow disc design reminiscent of an Atlantic Tarpon fisheye.

Since each record is individually crafted—no two are the same—collectors are invited to post/DM photos of their personal disc to the band’s Instagram @waitiki.

The Live tracks are available as a 33.3 rpm record titled Enchantment Under the Kiawe Tree: Live at House Without A Key. This record features a visually striking marbled black and cobalt blue vinyl, designed to evoke the deep blues of the Pacific Ocean when held to light. The hand-illustrated album cover pays homage to the exclusive cocktail glassware crafted for WAITIKI 7’s concerts at Halekulani.

The Enchantment album and glassware set will be available exclusively at Halekulani Boutique, the hotel’s signature shop, and a limited number of both vinyl records are available through Aloha Got Soul.