JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Don Tiki brings back the sounds of the past. The group consists of, from left, Jim Howard, Lopaka Colón, Hai Jung, Kit Ebersbach (front), Stacy Tangonan and Noel Okimoto.
Don Tiki’s world Martin, Augie, tomorrow night's for you! That's when the Forbidden World of Don Tiki returns to the Hawaiian Hut to pay homage once again to the glorious and romantic traditions of "exotica" (known to Gen-Xers as "lounge music") that Martin Denny created right here in Hawaii almost 50 years ago.
of ‘exotica’
By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comThe story was Denny was playing at Kaiser's Hawaiian Village one night in 1956 when the persistent croaking of frogs added an unanticipated dimension to the music. Odd as it seemed, people began coming in and requesting "the song with the frogs" and Denny responded by experimenting with "jungle noises" and unconventional percussion instruments.
Denny's recording of "Quiet Village," featuring percussionist Augie Colón doing the "jungle noises," reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1959 and introduced the "Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny" to a worldwide audience. Several successful albums followed. Denny faded from the American pop charts in the late 1960s, but by that time his music had fired the imaginations of fans around the world.
Jump forward a generation or so and Denny's music was discovered by a new generation who fell in love with it as "lounge music."
As the genre was percolating up into wider consciousness, two long-time Denny fans, Lloyd Kandell and veteran musician/record producer Kit Ebersbach, formed Don Tiki as a tribute to the living legacy of Denny and Colón. Their first CD was released in 1997 with Colón's son, Lopaka, picking up where his dad left off. Within a year, Kandell and Ebersbach were making plans to stage a Don Tiki revue with an expanded band, some Waikiki showroom dancers on loan and a few special guests.
Don Tiki backed Denny and the senior Colón when Denny was honored during "Hawaiian Jazz Night" at the 7th Annual Hawaii International Jazz Festival in 2000, and welcomed Denny and Colón as guests of honor when the band played the Hawaiian Hut in March of this year.
"Augie Colón came over with a party of 10 from Molokai so proud and excited that Lopaka was up on stage, seeing him for the first time in a concert setting," Kandell said during an interview with Ebersbach at La Mariana, Honolulu's other prominent old-style tiki-decor bar just off of Sand Island Access Road.
"I came out about halfway through the show to acknowledge Martin and Augie ... and Augie thanked us profusely for carrying on the music and giving his son a forum to play the music he once himself played. It was really nice to have those guys show up. Martin is always there to support us -- he's an amazing guy."
Kandell (who becomes his alterego "Fluid Floyd" whenever Don Tiki performs) is hopeful that both Denny and Colón will be in the audience tomorrow night. On stage with "Fluid Floyd" will be the core Don Tiki band of Ebersbach (a k a "Perry Coma") on keyboards, the junior Colón, the luscious Hai Jung on bass and vocals, Noel Okimoto on vibes and marimba, Jim Howard on keyboards and Stacy Tangonan on drums.
Special guests tomorrow will include Mihana Souza, Frank Orrall and Fritz Hasenpusch who, once again, will be transformed into his oily, lounge lizard persona of DelMar de Wilde, who sang a couple of songs on their latest CD "Skinny Dip with Don Tiki." (Orrall, whose history with Ebersbach goes back 20 years to their membership in The Squids, will also provide post-show entertainment as one of three featured DJs.)
POLYNESIAN purists and hula mavens need not fret. Don Tiki is about a mythical pan-tropical paradise of bright colors, friendly people and unusual drinks garnished with flowers and tiny paper umbrellas. It does not pretend to represent any specific tropical culture.
"We want the show to be real evocative and magical. We call it a hip alternative Polynesian revue-meets-Cirque de Soleil,' and I hope that doesn't sound too presumptuous," Kandell said of the concept.
"We have lots of choreography (and) costume changes, and we bring in our own sound and lights to try to create a magical little escapist moment of fun in a world where paradise doesn't exist in too many places any more. We're trying to keep alive the whole spirit of that," he said.
Where: Hawaiian Hut at South Seas Village, 410 Atkinson Drive The Forbidden World
Of Don Tiki
When: 9 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $20 advance, available at Tower Records on Keeaumoku and Kahala Mall; $25 at the door
Call: 941-5205
Note: A post-show DJ party featuring Frank Orrall, Keith Kandell and G-Dog follows at 11:30 p.m. Admission: $10
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