Les Baxter
The popular Tiki artist Les Baxter was actually born in Texas in 1922. In his teens, Baxter joined several dance bands as a saxophonist. A product of the Big Band era, in his early years Baxter focused on jazz and popular music. After studying as a pianist, he then turned to arranging and conducting, working on several early Nat King Cole hits. After arranging several popular hits, Baxter then turned to concept albums mixing popular beats with exotic sounds, a genre in which he would work for more than three decades.
In 1947 and 1948 Les began his foray into exotic musical sounds when working on Music Out Of the Moon, a smash hit still considered a masterpiece in the 'musical futurism' niche. This breakout album was written for the theramin, an early electronic instrument known for a high-pitched wail. Arranging this other-worldly album launched Baxter into the world of exotica. The success of this album touched everything that Baxter would do from that point on. Soon after this album was released, Baxter began working with Yma Sumac, one of the first true exotica singers. She is known for her abilities to imitate a volcano, an exotic bird, and other playful sounds. Les arranged her debut album before moving on to other work in the exotica genre.
Baxter's 1951 album, his first true foray into all-original exotica, was named “Le Sacre Du Sauvage” or “Ritual of the Savage,” and featured the hits “Jungle River Boat,” “The Ritual,” and “Quiet Village.” Many have recognized this album as the record after which exotica became a true genre in its own right. Many of his later exotica albums, such as “African Jazz” and “Jungle Jazz,” mixed new exotica sounds with the traditional jazz from Baxter's early musical past. In the 1990s, he was celebrated alongside Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman as one of the originators of what had become the “exotica” music genre.
Les Baxter is perhaps most well-known for his Jungle exotica. This genre, when compared to tiki exotica, includes more natural or jungle-inspired sounds; it is mainly a Hollywood creation stemming from its use in Tarzan and similar movies. During the 1960s and 1970s, Baxter was a well-known name in the movie industry, where he worked on multiple movie soundtracks in the Jungle exotica category as well as musicals and other movie genres. Throughout the 1960s, Baxter worked on soundtracks for more than a hundred movies.
In addition to movies, Baxter composed many songs for television, including the theme for the TV show Lassie, and also worked with Abbott and Costello and Bob Hope as a music director. Later, Baxter would compose music for theme parks. Baxter was invited to have his compositions performed by the Los Angeles Composer's Guild in 1994, considered a great honor. In all, Baxter released over 60 albums spanning a career of nearly 50 years, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His music has even been sampled by P. Diddy and The Beastie Boys. If you are hosting a tiki party, a Les Baxter album is a must-have. This unusual blend of music is sure to add to the fun and relaxing atmosphere. Les Baxter passed away in 1996 at the age of 73.
Rene Thompson,
Saturday, February 6th