Kolumbo Archives - KUT & KUTX Studios

For a lot of people with contemporary tastes, exotica only equates to easy listening. Understandably so, since in the modern era it may strike first time listeners as muzak, elevator vapidity…jazz sans soul. But when you strip those biases and revisit the movement that began with the likes of Martin Denny and Les Baxter, you can better appreciate the transportive power of exotica. It’s right there in the name: “exotic”. So while coastal folks are flush with the everyday magic of an oceanside breeze, palm trees, and three hundred and sixty days of perfect weather, we’d argue that city slickers get the most value out of exotica.

At least it seems like that’s what first got Dallas-raised keyboardist-composer-arranger Frank LoCrasto craving something a bit more Bohemian to break out of the urban mindset, which lead to re-christening himself Kolumbo. Now based out of Brooklyn, Kolumbo introduced us to his tropical twists with his Summer 2022 debut Gung-Ho. It sure wasn’t easy wrangling about a dozen musicians together during the pandemic, but if exotica truly was easy, you’d hear a lot more of it, right?

Now, as summer makes way for the fall, LoCrasto proves once again that Kolumbo isn’t just a seasonal excursion. And that’s on behalf of Kolumbo’s sophomore followup Sandy Legs, out this Wednesday. Before we get to spin the LP in full, Kolumbo’s getting the symphonic jazz pop flirtations started with “Spin the Bottle”. Beachside vibes from its first downbeat, “Spin the Bottle” speaks an awful lot for an instrumental. So if you’re dreading this next work week and need a mental vacation wherever’s most convenient for you at the moment, kick off your shoes, close your eyes, imagine digging your toes into some beige grains, and shut everything else out while Kolumbo takes you on a midcentury style tropical tour.

I’ve never been shy about my love of jazz, pretty much every style across the spectrum, save Dixieland (sorry, not sorry). One of my all-time favorite sub-genres out of that bunch is Exotica, the Latin-leaning, arrangement-driven “easy listening” style made famous by Martin Denny in the ’50s. Now, I know I’m far from the only Texan who loves Exotica; see for instance Dallas-born keyboardist Frank LoCrasto, whose citified upbringing made him yearn for the idiosyncratic mystique of tropical resorts. LoCrasto still lives the city life – in Brooklyn – where he’s eponymously released four solo albums and scored for television and film since the early ’00s. But to compensate for lack of sand and palm trees in his ongoing urban surroundings, LoCrasto has recently created a new project that fully embraces Exotica, Kolumbo.

LoCrasto serves as composer, arranger, and keyboardist for Kolumbo and conducted group sessions that averaged around a dozen players per track for his debut LP Gung Ho. An instant mood-setter, Gung Ho melds modern sensibilities with mid-century orchestral jazz-pop formulas for an eight-track experience that’ll make you want to go on vacation permanently. So fill a coconut cup with your favorite refreshment, toss on some shades and a straw hat, and sink into “The Key Club, 1976”.