Wednesday 15 July 2015

Yellow Bird – ARTHUR LYMAN****

Havah Nagilah/Yellow Bird/Ravel’s Bolero/Autumn Leaves/Arrivederci Roma/Sweet & Lovely/Bamboo Tamboo/Andalusia/Adventures In Paradise/Granada/September Song/John Henry

Arthur Lyman was one of the pioneers of the musical sub genre known as exotica, which achieved a degree of popularity in the States at the turn of the 1960s. Evoking tropical sounds, the arrangements featured novel instruments such as the vibraphone and marimbas. The title track on Yellow Bird was an American top five hit single. (US:10)

“Arthur Lyman - what kind of a god of the marimbas. This faux Polynesian approach is represented on this album in extremes - his titles that gives some spice, and precisely what makes it so good. Vibraphone and picked guitar do their best to bring out the shimmering xylophone in the background. One is inevitably reminded of a holiday in the South Pacific."

“This, his second album, includes the soft and dreamy title song, but is also an audio panorama of Lyman's range - from such 'native' offerings as Bamboo Tamboo, continental tunes such as Arrivederci Roma, and sentimental American favourites including Sweet & Lovely."

“So beautiful and relaxing. You can feel the gentle surf glide onto the sandy beaches. You can feel the gentle trade winds cross your face. You can feel Arthur Lyman caress the keys of his marimbas and vibes. This music brings back so many beautiful memories of a beautiful place and a beautiful time."

“Soft warm breezes float over the beach and carry fragrant floral aromas to the hammock your lying in, while sipping a fruity rum drink in a coconut half as hula girls giggle near by. Sounds like a slice of heaven. And almost every song on this LP conjures up those images. Even the tunes that are not Polynesian in origin seem to be given a tropical touch. Very good stuff and I recommend this album to everyone, even those who don't enjoy exotica.”

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