Happy New Year!!!

Now that I have a nice reliable internet/computer again I will wish my readers a healthy and happy new year 2009.
I know it’s going to be super. Trust me.

Waitiki Videos from European and American Shows

Waitiki live in Berlin, 2008

Waitiki live in Berlin, 2008

Check out the videos Waitiki put up on the web. Some from this summer’s Wassermusik, which took place in Berlin. I was there, and it was very special and otherwordly and beautiful.
The following is quoting professahhummingflowah / Randy from the opening post in a Waitiki video thread on Tiki Central.

As you may know, this summer Waitiki launched a new project that has been christened The Waitiki All-Star Exotica Septet. In other words, a 7 member ensemble dedicated to the preservation and performance of classic and modern exotica.

The group is comprised of: Abe Lagrimas & Randy Wong (Waitiki co-founders; drums and bass, respectively), Tim Mayer (‘The Mayor of Exotica’ – sax/flutes), Jim Benoit (Berklee vibraphone wunderkind, of the Phil WIlson Rainbow Big Band), Helen Liu (dazzling violinist, a.k.a. “Ms. Helenini”), Zaccai Curtis (Latin jazz pianist with Paquito D’Rivera, Christian Scott, Wallace Roney), and Lopaka Colon (percussion and birdcalls; son of original Martin Denny percussionist and birdcaller, Augie Colon).

For your listening & viewing pleasure, here are some selected videos from our two recent performances—The Wassermusik Festival (Berlin, Germany) and the Retro Cocktail Hour’s 500th Broadcast Anniversary (Lawrence, Kansas). We will be mixing and mastering audio from the Retro Cocktail Hour show, as well as recent studio and other live performances, for an upcoming commercial release. Stay tuned.

In the meantime:

From our European debut – videography by Jochen Hirschfield of Armchair Travelling and ‘The DVD of Tiki’

Coronation, shot in Berlin. Featuring Lopaka Colon (son of original Martin Denny percussionist, Augie Colon), bongos & birdcalls.

Primativa, shot in Berlin. Featuring Tim Mayer (Waitiki’s Mayor of Exotica), saxophone.

Tiki, shot in Berlin. Featuring TIm Mayer (sax) and Zaccai Curtis (piano).

From our American debut

Sweet Pikake Serenade, shot in Lawrence. A composition by Randy Wong, in the style of Arthur Lyman’s great exotica ballads. Featuring Lopaka Colon (birdcalls/percussion), Jim Benoit (vibraphone), and Zaccai Curtis (piano).

Left Arm of Buddha, shot in Lawrence. Arrangement by Tim Mayer, of Martin Denny’s classic. Featuring Tim on alto flute and Jim Benoit.

L’Ours Chinois (‘The Chinese Bear’), shot in Lawrence. A composition by Randy Wong, in the style of Fritz Kreisler, Martin Denny, and Maurice Ravel. Featuring Helen Liu (Ms. Helenini) as violin soloist.

Firecrackers, shot in Lawrence; the encore to our show. Arrangement by Abe Lagrimas Jr. and Jim Benoit. Features Abe on drums and Jim on vibes.

Hope you like the videos. Sorry that some of the audio isn’t completely synced to the video; I’m still learning how to use Final Cut Express!! Let us know what you think of the group!!

– Randy & The Waitiki All-Star Exotica Septet

Tiki Central Forums – Topic: The Waitiki All-Star Exotica Septet: videos from our European and American debuts.

LuxuriaMusic Internet Radio
Internet Radio: Exotica, Lounge, Space Age Bachelor Pad, Bossa, Soft-Psych, Go-Go, Latin Jazz, Sophisticated Rock and Surf

I’m a really unlucky fela with my internet service provider (Freenet). Since about a month or so I can’t listen to Luxuriamusic.com anymore. I can tune-in via iTunes as usual, but the stream re-loads at least every 20 seconds. It’s insane. I would do everything I can to support them, except report on shows I have heard – just because that’s not possible for me anymore… They have such great people, who really are into the best music that deserves a place in the spotlights, if not the sun.

If somebody in Germany still can get their program as before, I would be really interested in the kind of connection that you have. Please, please leave a comment here and help me find out what’s wrong. Possibly it’s iTunes, maybe I can listen via VLC Player or something else? I’d appreciate any helpful advice or even just an explanation why I’m having this annoying tech problem.

Here’s the latest news from Luxuriamusic.com (for those happy people who can get it alright):

Had he not passed away earlier this month, Louis Teicher would have turned 84 on Aug. 24. In this Sunday’s special Beyondophonic Action Hour, F&T’s long-time manager Scott W. Smith will join your host Tothar to celebrate Mr. Teicher’s legacy.
Via phone, Scott will share swell stories about the twin piano team, including an inside scoop on the duo’s dazzlingly visionary and futuristic ‘prepared piano’ recordings. (Tothar sez, ‘Ten of the most uniquely innovative, ingenious LPs ever made.’) Tothar and Smith will also share some of the F&T tracks that most left them awestruck.

PLUS, the Lux F&T memorial extends at 8pm PST/11:00pm EST with a rebroadcast of a 2001 LuxuriaMusic interview with Ferrante & Teicher conducted by The Millionaire!

Check out http://www.luxuriamusic.com for some jaw-dropping YouTube footage of F&T performing their ‘prepared’ technique live on the Ernie Kovacs Show. Remember yesterday’s Sound of Tomorrow this Sunday night at 7:00 PST/ 10:00 EST on LuxuriaMusic Internet Radio! Please spread the word to anyone you think should know about it! – Michael ‘Tothar’ Toth

LuxuriaMusic Internet Radio | Internet Radio: Exotica, Lounge, Space Age Bachelor Pad, Bossa, Soft-Psych, Go-Go, Latin Jazz, Sophisticated Rock and Surf.