Martin Denny

USA, 1954–2005

American bandleader (1911-2005) whose 'Quiet Village' (1957), using birdcalls and Polynesian-styled percussion, popularised exotica, a genre of imagined-tropical mood music.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Martin Denny and 2 artists Martin Denny influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Martin Denny?

• Les Baxter — Denny's 'Quiet Village' — the exotica anthem — is a Les Baxter composition; Baxter's Ritual of the Savage created the genre Denny then popularized.
• Claude Debussy — Denny, classically trained, drew his harmonic colour from the impressionists — Debussy's whole-tone haze under the birdcalls.

Which artists did Martin Denny influence?

• Haruomi Hosono — Hosono built his solo work on the 'jungle sound' of Martin Denny's exotica, and Yellow Magic Orchestra's breakthrough was a synthetic cover of Denny's 'Firecracker'.
• Yellow Magic Orchestra — YMO's debut opens with a cover of Martin Denny's 'Firecracker' — Hosono's exotica obsession is the band's founding concept, its ironic tropical exotica.