Afro-Desia: The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny

by Martin Denny

Overview

Nominally, this represents Martin Denny's attempt to evoke the ambience of the African continent, after having done the same for the South Pacific via a series of early albums. Denny does use marimba, vibes, bongos, congas, and timbales -- not to mention sound effects of a buzzing tsetse fly and the rain forest. But the result is even less genuinely African (to the "nth" degree) than, say, Paul Simon's Graceland. Not to mention that the Randy Van Horne Singers, who contribute backing vocals (as they did for the Flinstones and Jetsons cartoons), were probably about as authentically African as a Disneyland voodoo doll. Denny never pretended to offer a genuinely ethnic experience, though. This is, despite any impressions generated by the title, more exotica music, pure and simple. There isn't much Denny on CD, but almost everyone will be content to pick up the Rhino best-of (which admittedly only duplicates a few cuts from Afro-Desia) and leave it at that. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2016
Label:	SUPER D INDEPENDENT DIST.
UPC:	4938167021148
Rank:	143815

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Martin Denny   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Harold Mooney   Composer
Pete Ciccone   Art Direction
Bill Pate   Cover Design
Charles Oflynn   Composer
Randy Van Horne   Composer
Herb Brown   Composer
Ralph Ringer   Composer
Ernesto Lecuona   Composer
Ted Keep   Engineer
Si Waronker   Producer
Irwin Chusid   Liner Notes
Irwin Taylor   Composer
Charles O'Flynn   Composer
Les Baxter   Composer
Martin Denny   Arranger,Composer
Ray Gilbert   Composer
Nacio Herb Brown   Composer
Ary Barroso   Composer
Arthur Freed   Composer
Ashley Warren   Reissue Producer
Alan Douches   Remastering
Carmen Lombardo   Composer
Julius Wechter   Composer
Ray Bryant   Composer
Harold Johnson   Composer
R. Gilbert   Composer