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…