Did Maestro George Barati dabble in composing exoticaesque pieces? This bio seems to indicate he may have:
As a composer, George Barati wrote fine music in a modern European tradition. During his stay in Hawaii, he studied native melodic and rhythImic patterns of exotic South Sea islands, and these found reflection in some of his works of the period.
Barati, a 1965 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, conducted the Honolulu Symphony during the period that saw Statehood and the rise/fall of Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Augie Colon, The Tropicals, Gene Rains, Alfred Apaka and other exotica artists. Barati’s HSO tenure lasted from 1950-1968, so it seems entirely possible that he could have done some exotica orchestrating, arranging, or composing.
Please comment if you are familiar with any George Barati works that are exotic in instrumentation, melody, nuance, rhythm, etc…
A few days ago, I headed down to the Hawai’i State Library to do conduct some exotica and mixology research and came across a Nov. 12, 1961 article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin mentioning that weekend’s Honolulu Symphony program. Among the featured performers was Jack Conner, a mallet player who was previously a member of the St. Louis Symphony, and later soloist with the Xavier Cugat Orchestra. I thought it interesting that the Honolulu Symphony would have a vibraphone soloist as its guest artist—given the popularity of the instrument during that time period in exotica (pop) music. I wonder if the Symphony players viewed the program as being more of a Pops concert or a regular classical one, and to what extent exotica’s popularity helped further Mr. Conner’s career as a vibes soloist. (It’d be a good conversation to have with him, although unfortunately I am about a decade too late; Mr. Conner passed away in 2001… obit is here).
But what precipitated the surge of vibraphonists in popular music? In his University of North Texas DMA dissertation titled, Extended Performance Techniques and Compositional Style in the Solo Concert Vibraphone Music of Christopher Deane, vibraphonist and composer Joshua Smith suggests the vibes’ roots stem from 1920s-era vaudeville performers like Louis Frank Chiha. Not surprising, since the vibes themselves were invented by Leedy around 1916, and rejiggered by Deagan in 1927 for its legendary Model 145. Dr. Smith writes,
The spread of vibraphone popularity is a direct result of the first commercial recording of the instrument, which occurred around 1924. At that time a popular vaudeville circuit artist named Louis Frank Chiha (also known as “Signor Friscoe”) recorded Aloha Oe and Gypsy Love Song using the Leedy vibraphone with revolving-disc pulsators. The popularity of Aloha Oe produced an influx of orders for the Leedy vibraphone. By the middle 1920’s, the vibraphone was an integral part of the dance orchestra.
Whoa. Hold on there… the pre-exotica popularity of the vibes can still be attributed to Hawaiian music? No way! Chiha’s 1924 recording predates the Gabby Pahinui recordings of “Ahulili” and “Hame Pila” I wrote about in 2007. Far out!!!
This is a subject, no doubt, this blog will return to. In the meantime, check out this compilation album of jazz vibists from ’37-’55!
