Martin Denny - The Enchanted Sea

A choice palate-cleanser after a main course of Gayle’s More Live or Silva’s Seasons, I also reach for Denny when the morning commutes to work screech to an irritating stand-still. There’s just something about Martin’s mélange that returns the discombobulated mind to a steady course. Sea is my favorite of his numerous platters, less dramatic and self-conscious than earlier albums like Exotica and Hypnotique, it’s thusly more effective at evoking a prevailing mood- that of a sleepy seaside port-of-call, a tropical paradise beyond the reach of twentieth century stressors. Julius Wechter’s vibraphone and marimba frequently take the lead on the dozen tunes and he makes luxurious use of his the former instrument’s sustain pedals. Augie Colon handles an array of Latin percusion while doing double duty on counterfeit bird calls while Harvey Ragsdale anchors the action on string bass and Roy Harte enhances the band’s rhythmic clout with a caboodle of little percussion devices. Muppet gooney birds take flight on “Beyond the Sea,” flapping directly into the sound painting that is “Off Shore.” “Sentimental Journey” is, surprisingly enough, the record’s swingest track, a chance to hear Colon and Harte trade licks with Denny’s groovy harpsichord. A faux Hawaiian vocal even crops up on “Song of the Islands”- Polynesia by way of Burbank. With “Cross Current” the leader comes on like Mantovani playing baby grand on the deck of a Spice Islands tugboat. Eerie echoes of Morricone arrive on the closing title track with its moody choir chorus, dreamy melodic whistling and a lilting beat that mirrors the gentle lapping of an evening tide. Most impressive overall is the restraint with which Denny deploys his usual trappings. Sea may not have been as popular with the blue hair crowd at Don the Beachcomber’s as a result, but for me it stands out. Original running time barely exceeds 29-minutes so Scamp’s reissue pairs it with Quiet Village for added value. Denny remains a long-standing poster boy for campy kitsch. Sadly, it’s a guise that sometimes obscures the genuine creativity he often channeled into music such as this.