Tikiyaki Orchestra, New Year's Eve, Bahooka's 31 December 2010, Page 1 of 1 

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Marty Lush, vibes and Master of Ceremonies, entertains the people and the fish.

Tikiyaki Orchestra played Bahooka's to usher in 2011, surrounded by 101 fish tanks.  I wore a Mao jacket to fit in with the band and look like their roadie.  Lisa was sporting a lovely Chinese top.  We were in the middle of Chinatown in Rosemead, blending in perfectly with the locals, yes we were.


Steady Eddie Cleland, drums.  We sat by Stephanie, his wife. and drank tropical beverages.

Along with Brian "Cassanova" Kassan, these two are forming a progressive rock band.


Mark "Gus" Gusek, percussion.

Gary Brandin, lap steel guitar.

Jim "Tikiyaki" Bacchi - composer, producer, sparkly guitar, keys.

Jonpaul "Rummy" Balak, bass, rumbling the fish.

Brian "Cassanova" Kassan, keyboards and guitar.

Brian "Cassanova" Kassan on the Danelectro.

From their website: The Tikiyaki Orchestra is a musical experience unlike any other today. Utilizing a unique combination of sounds....smooth, mellow vibraphone, twanging, reverb-drenched surf guitar, pulsating theater organ, lilting Hawaiian steel guitar, bongos, congas, and an arsenal of exotic percussion from around the world, all set against the sounds of the ocean and jungle.... the Tikiyaki Orchestra transports the audience to a place and time when Cantonese food was dubbed “exotic cuisine”, and people escaped the mundane with the aid of strong, sweet rum-based cocktails served in Tiki Mugs with little colorful umbrellas...i.e., Waikiki in 1960.

Evoking the spirit of past masters such as Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, and Les Baxter, The Tikiyaki Orchestra performs original material from their CDs “StereoExotique” and "Swingin' Sounds for the Jungle Jetset", written by award winning composer and band leader Jim Bacchi, as well as classics of the Exotica, traditional Hawaiian, lounge, surf, spy and cocktail genres, and provide the ideal sonic landscape for any tropical, Luau, swinger, fifties, lounge cocktail party, or other similarly-themed event.

The band has performed to sold-out crowds in Southern California and were the headliners at the 2008 Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Hukilau is the East Coast's biggest and most attended Tiki weekender, attracting people from around the world.

featuring:
Jim "El Maestro" Bacchi - composer, producer, guitar, keys
Steady Eddie Cleland : Drums
Brian "Cassanova" Kassan - keyboards, guitar
Marty Lush - vibes
Gary Brandin - steel guitar
Jonpaul "Rummy" Balak - bass
Mark "Gus" Gusek - percussion
 


Jim on guitar.

We arrived; it was 2010.  We left; it was 2011.

All photos taken with the diminuitive Leica DLux 4.  Fits in the pocket, perfect for the New Year's reveler on the go.


Ken's photos of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as photos of Peru, Burma, India, Morocco, China, Thailand, Ghana, Ecuador, and elsewhere, have appeared in many books, magazines, websites, and galleries.  Visit the Ken Lee Photography Website. Some of Ken's select photos may be purchased through his Imagekind Store.

Buy Ken's art at ImageKind.com.

Tikiyaki Orchestra, New Year's Eve, Bahooka's December 2010 - Page 1 of 1

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