Bird calls and lush symphonic music will fill the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall as the exotica ensemble Waitiki 7 takes the stage with Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra in a one-night-only performance that is the HapaSymphony Season Finale on Friday, June 5.
The modern exotica ensemble gets its name from a fusion of the words “Waikīkī” and “tiki.” It was founded by Randy Wong, a bassist who is also the president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, and his friend Abe Lagrimas Jr., who is the group’s drummer and also plays vibraphone and ʻukulele.
The band includes Wong’s wife, Helen Liu, who plays violin and does bird calls; Tim Mayer, the saxophonist and arranger, who has also been the guest director of the National Jazz Orchestra of Mexico, and lives in Coatepec, Mexico; Jim Benoit, who plays vibraphone and is also the principal timpanist of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who lives in Pennsylvania; Grammy Award-winning Curtis Zaccai, who plays piano and lives in Hartford, Connecticut; and the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning Augie Lopaka Colón, who plays percussion and is also known for bird and animal sounds — performed live with just vocals — and is the son of Augie Colón, who was part of the original exotica group with Martin Denny.
The music of Waitiki 7 is inspired by Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter, Gene Rains and Robert Drasnin, who brought exotica music to Waikīkī in the late 1950s and 1960s, when it was especially popular with American servicemen.
Wong first met Lyman when he was a kid.
Waitiki 7, which now has seven members, originally started as a quartet in Boston.
The group’s founders, Wong and Lagrimas, were part of Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony and different jazz band programs while growing up in Hawaiʻi, before moving to Boston where they attended the New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music, respectively.
As a college student, Wong was asked to design a press kit for a musician he really admired. He picked Lyman, the iconic vibraphonist who — with Denny — helped pioneer the exotica genre.
Lyman was a friend of Wong’s grandfather, so they had talked about what it was like being a professional musician. To prepare for his college assignment, Wong headed to the music library and checked out vinyl records.
“The music was unbelievable,” Wong said. “It was not the traditional Hawaiian music that you hear. It was exotic and jazzy, and it incorporated a lot of different cultures.”
Lagrimas, it turns out, was familiar with exotica music and had played with Denny as a high school student.
The original quartet expanded to Waitiki 7 in 2007, when the group received an invitation to perform at the Festival Wassermusik, a water-themed music festival held in Berlin, Germany. That year, the event featured surf music, North African fisherman sea shanties and the Hawaiʻi-based exotica band, Don Tiki.
The quartet was invited to put together something special for this festival — with funding.
“And that's how the Waitiki 7 was born,” Wong said. “It was born in Berlin. And the night that we performed, future President Obama [who spent some of his childhood years on Oʻahu] was giving a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, less than a quarter mile away. ... We could hear his voice in the distance while we were playing.”
Last year, Waitiki 7 released “Exotica Reborn In Studio and Live at House Without a Key.” Six of the songs were recorded live at Halekulani Hotel.
“Where else can you perform in front of Diamond Head, and have the Pacific Ocean — Waikīkī Beach, right there?” Wong said.
Waitiki 7 will be part of several events in June, including:
Friday, June 5: Waitiki 7 and the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra. Catch Waitiki 7 performing with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra for a one-night show that is the HapaSymphony Season Finale. Before the concert, take a tour of the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, which was built in 1964, around the time that exotica was at its peak popularity. The walking tour, which starts at 5:45 p.m. will be led by Don Hibbard of Docomomo Hawaii. The tour is free for concert ticket holders. Email info@waitiki.com with your name and the number of people in your party to reserve spots on the walking tour. After the tour, enjoy cocktails, retro Waikīkī vibes, and music from a DJ, as well as a special showcase from Goodwill Hawaiʻi’s Goodwill Goes Glam! initiative ahead of its July fashion show. Tickets to the concert start at $43.50. Get tickets. There are also package deals, including concert tickets and drinks at a post-concert reception at the Green Lady Cocktail Room and a hotel stay.
Saturday, June 6. Members of the exotica ensemble Waitiki 7 will host a seminar as part of Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony’s B# = C Success series. Students who are part of the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony — and freelance musicians — are invited to attend. The free workshop series helps musicians “dream courageously and explore pathways,” according to Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony’s website. Each workshop includes a musical performance from professional musicians, a facilitated Q&A with the performers, chances to win prizes, and information about scholarships, plus time to network. This workshop starts at 10 a.m. at the Musicians’ Association of Hawaiʻi’s Studio 909. Free. Details.
Saturday, June 6. Live at Lewers: Kamasami Kong meets Waitiki 7. Want to see an encore performance? Head to the Lewers Lounge, an intimate cocktail lounge within Halekulani Hotel, where Kamasami Kong will host the evening and guide the musical experience. There will also be a special performance by Harold Chang — who was the original drummer and percussionist in the Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman groups — and is now 98 years old.
He is the last remaining musician of the ensembles that started the exotica movement and will be joining Waitiki 7 to play percussion. Food and beverages are available for purchase. The show runs from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the show starts, and seating is first-come, first served. Tickets are $70 and include complimentary valet parking. Details.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
