Exotica: Haunted Lounge

Traditionally, the emotions evoked by exotica and lounge music are happiness, romance, or wonder at a marvel of nature. However, on occasion, the genre's leading composers touched on themes of suspense, foreboding, and fear. Included here are some of these experiments in melancholy, from somber jazz by Dorothy Ashby to orchestral flights of fancy by Henry Mancini and Esquivel.