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Hosono's Exotica: Fiction Over Authenticity
10 Oct
Summary
- Hosono embraced exotica as a path to musical freedom.
- Tropical Dandy reinterprets global music with an artificial twist.
- Soy Sauce Music defines Hosono's eclectic, global sound.
Haruomi Hosono's 1975 album, Tropical Dandy, inaugurated his "Tropical Trilogy" by exploring the captivating space between the real and the artificial.
Inspired by Martin Denny's exotica, particularly "Quiet Village," Hosono found freedom in the genre's imaginative scope, allowing him to experiment without the pressure of strict authenticity. He viewed his music as "fiction," a deliberate departure from imitation.
Hosono coined "Soy Sauce Music" to describe his distinctive style, which involved reinterpreting international music with a personal touch. This approach is exemplified in his rendition of Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo," which fused elements of Portuguese, funk, calypso, and jazz.
Tropical Dandy, as Hosono stated in its liner notes, aimed to create a global musical conversation. The album weaves together diverse influences to evoke idealized places, often with a humorous acknowledgment of their illusory nature.
