Exotica Artist Arthur Lyman
Arthur Lyman is one of the most popular exotica artists ever, known for his unique sounds on the vibraphone and marimba. Born in 1932 in Kauai, Hawaii, Lyman began playing at an early age, becoming a professional musician by the time he graduated from high school. Lyman's early practice made him adept at a four-mallet style of playing, producing a fuller sound than the more common 2-mallet style used by most virbraphone players.
In 1954, Lyman was playing in a hotel bar when he met Martin Denny. At that time, Denny was in Hawaii to play in the Shell Bar on contract with Don the Beachcomber. Arthur Lyman got his big break playing the vibraphone in Martin Denny's band. Lyman and Denny's musical relationship continued for five years. It is during this era that Lyman first began incorporating bird calls into his jazz music. Although Denny and Lyman would become fierce competitors, they also remained close friends for life.
His playing can be heard in Martin Denny's legendary “Exotica” album, the one that gave this new genre its name. Their song “Quiet Village” catapulted both Denny and Lyman to musical success, not to mention igniting a passion for all things Hawaiian, including exotic drinks, tiki statues, and Polynesian-themed restaurants.
Following the success of “Quiet Village,” Lyman soon split from Denny's group, and was hired to play in a Honolulu nightclub owned by Henry Kaiser of Kaiser Aluminum fame. Soon, Hi Fi Records in Los Angeles hired him as their featured artist, although Lyman recorded nearly exclusively in his homeland of Hawaii. In true exotica style, his albums held such titles as “Leis of Jazz,” “Hawaiian Sunset,” and “Isle of Enchantment.”
His style has been described as similar to Denny's, but even more exotic and flamboyant. Lyman went further in his use of environmental sounds. Lyman's unique sound combined bird calls, bells, and other sounds meant to simulate an island environment. Lyman's combo band stayed together throughout the late 1950s, 1960s, and most of the 1970's, appearing on "The Red Skelton Show," "The Andy Williams Show," and guest spots on "Hawaiian Eye," a private eye show set in Oahu. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Arthur Lyman performed at some of the best-known musical spots in Waikiki, including Don the Beachcomber's.
Lyman's top hit was his cover of "Yellow Bird," a Haitian folk song which spent ten weeks on the Billboard Top Ten chart in 1961, peaking at #4. During the course of his career, Lyman recorded over thirty albums and almost 400 singles, earning him three gold albums. Following the end of the Hi Fi Records contract, Lyman split with his combo before moving back to the islands permanently and leaving touring behind.
Lyman died of throat cancer in Honolulu in 2002. He is remembered as one of the pioneers of exotica music, helping to turn it into a national trend in the 1950s and 1960s. During his playing career, Lyman performed at nearly every Polynesian-themed bar, restaurant, and venue on the mainland. He played an essential role in the formation of the exotica genre, and his music is still being sampled by today's exotica artists. His music was also used in the recent remake of "Ocean's Eleven;" the soundtrack includes his version of Duke Ellington's "Caravan."
Rene Thompson,
Friday, March 19th