Les DeMerle

Gypsy Rendezvous, Vol. 1

Origin 82544

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DeMerle plays with such power and grace as to make his quartet sound like a band three times the size.
All About Jazz

Legendary drummer Les DeMerle injects a fiery Hot Club spirit into his latest Origin Recording. Along with the Django-inspired group "Gypsy Pacific" and vocalist Bonnie Eisele, DeMerle weaves a joyous musical tapestry as the group takes the gypsy-jazz energy of Reinhardt and Grappelli up a notch, reworking bebop staples such as Pent Up House and Yardbird Suite, or American Songbook classics such as Skylark and Old Man River. Recorded in Maui during a Hawaiian tour, Gypsy Rendezvous is a jubilant and relaxed jaunt through new musical territories for DeMerle's dynamic band.


Track Listing:

1. Pent Up House 2:43
2. For Sephora 5:06
3. This Can't Be Love 3:21
4. Swingin' Shepherd Blues 4:08
5. Besame Mucho 4:22
6. Old Man River 5:48
7. Skylark 5:08
8. St. Louis Blues 5:00
9. Hit That Jive Jack 2:41
10. Heavy Artillery 4:01
11. Soon It's Gonna Rain / Here's That Rainy Day 4:15
12. Deixa / Let Me 3:20
13. Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear From Me 5:33
14. Yardbird Suite 2:38
15. Drums To The Max 6:12

Performers:

Les DeMerle - Drums and vocals
Bonnie Eisele - Vocals, percussion
David Choy - Soprano Saxophone (4)

Gypsy Pacific:
Willie Wainwright - Violin
Tom Conway - Guitar
Phil Benoit - Guitar
Marcus Johnson - Bass

Production Info:

Produced by Les DeMerle & Bonnie Eisele
Recorded February 4 - 9, 2008
at Ulu Loa Studio - Haiku, Maui, Hawaii
Engineered by Jake Rohrer
Cover photograph by Marc Hauser
Design & layout by John Bishop


Reviews of Gypsy Rendezvous, Vol. 1

Jazz Society of Oregon (Kyle O'Brien)
Any time anyone calls their group Dynamic, it's cause to put up a red flag for cheesiness. But the rousing Gypsy jazz that comes from this group is, well, rather dynamic. The disc came about during DeMerle's vacation to Maui, where he and Bonnie Eisele jammed with a local group. The result is a modern Hawaiian Gypsy jazz disc with a bit of a surf v ...

Cadence (David Franklin)
Drummer Les DeMerle's long career has included playingwith Harry James for a dozen years, fronting his own Fusiongroup for a time, and more recently leading various straight-ahead VOL. 1 ensembles. Gypsy Pacific, comprising violin, two guitars, and bass, is a unique Jazz band based in Maui, Hawaii. DeMerle happened tohear the quartet in a club ther ...



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