Sunday Morning Vinyl - Martin Denny - Exotic Percussion

I'm a big time sucker for vintage album cover art, and this cover is one of my favorites. The music inside is also irresistible.

Liberty Records, cover design Pete/Francis & Associates

The theme of this 1961 LP is a sort of East meets West vibe with the use of "exotic instruments" to play western melodies. The instruments in question include Burmese gongs, wood chimes, steel chimes, a three-stringed Japanese lute, a magna harp, wind chimes, a Hawaiian gourd, piccolo xylophones and bamboo percussion heads, and as always, the piano played by Martin Denny.

In addition to Martin Denny, the players are: August Colon, Julius Wechter, Harvey Ragsdale and Frank Kim.

As for the cover, I don't think this is Sandy Warner, who is on many of Denny's exotica LP's at the time. She looks a lot like her though.

This is great music to accompany that cocktail party featuring those sweet tasting drinks that sneak up on you about the third one in. Next thing you know you're the big kahuna swaying to the music and making a fool of yourself for the cute babe in the corner next to the black velvet painting. Or maybe she's got a special little dance of her own to lay on you instead...