Pianist and composer Martin Denny is one of the key figures in the development of the jazz hybrid known as exotica, which incorporated themes and instruments from foreign lands into instrumental compositions that won favor among post-war listeners. Home to some of the genre's earliest hits, Denny's self-titled debut inspired a deluge of similar LPs from other artists seeking to tap into the nostalgia for faraway places felt by returning WWII vets, until the musical craze faded in the late '50s.