Along with Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman helped craft the exotica music genre that gained popularity in the the late 1950s. In fact, Lyman played vibes in Denny's group but left in 1957 to start his own ensemble.
Lyman's debut album Taboo was a Top 10 hit in 1958. Denny and Lyman had similar lush sounds and their recordings often featured bird calls and other exotic sound effects.
Denny and Lyman also had the only major hit singles of the relatively short-lived exotica fad -- Denny with Quiet Village and Lyman with Yellow Bird in 1961.
Exotica music was past its due date by the time Lyman released Ilikai in 1967. It's a pretty straightforward effort, with a mixture of cover versions of recent pop hits and songs by Hawaiian musicians, such as Ain't no Big Thing by Kui Lee. This tune was used in several epidodes of Hawaii 5-0 (not Lyman's version).
Listen to and download Ain't No Big Thing by Arthur Lyman from the link below.
Ain't No Big Thing
Kui Lee, who also wrote Don Ho's signature tune Tiny Bubbles, died in 1966, the year before Lyman's version of Ain't No Big Thing surfaced as the lead track of his Ilikai LP.
Many of Arthur Lyman's albums, including Ilikai, are available on 2on1 CDs from the Collector's Choice label at a bargain price of $5.98. Visit Oldies.com for details.
Ilikai is also widely available as a digital download.
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