In the same way that, say, Art Blakey or Buddy Rich drove their bands, DeMerle establishes an undeniable presence...
Captured live in the jazz room of the Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Ship while sailing the Baltics, "Comin' Home Baby" is the Dynamic Les DeMerle Band's ninth recording on Origin, and its tightest - grooving hard, the music hot and sweet, swinging and soulful. Featured beside Les DeMerle's fiery drumming are his and Bonnie Eisele's equally dynamic vocals, as they perform classics such as "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Learnin' The Blues," "Day In - Day Out," "High Fly," and more. "After hearing this quartet live for 12 nights with Les' tight group and the wonderful vocals of Bonnie Eisele, I can honestly say that I am truly a fan..." - George Wein, Newport Jazz Festival.
Track Listing:
1 Shiny Stockings 4:38
2 All That Jazz 2:36
3 Steppin' Out With My Baby 3:02
4 The Good Life, I Wanna Be Around 3:48
5 High Fly 5:21
6 Day In Day Out 4:06
7 It's Only A Paper Moon 2:58
8 The Girl From Ipanema 4:47
9 The Nearness Of You 5:00
10 All Right, OK, You Win 3:28
11 I Love Being Here With You 2:25
12 Early in The Morning 3:43
13 Meditation 3:41
14 Frim Fram Sauce 3:38
15 Peel Me A Grape 2:52
16 Learnin' The Blues 5:27
17 Comin' Home Baby 3:18
18 Manteca 2:09
Performers:
Bonnie Eisele - vocals
Johannes Bjerregaard - piano
Chris Luard - bass
Les DeMerle - drums, vocals
Production Info:
Recorded Live in the Ensemble Lounge aboard the Celebrity Eclipse while cruising from Copenhagen, Denmark to Talinn, Estonia
Produced by Les DeMerle and Bonnie Eisele for Music Unlimited Productions, Amelia Island, FL
Recorded by Martin Chiervo on 8/25 and 8/26, 2014
Mastered by Dan Dean
Photography by Caroline Blochlinger
Cover Art by Marcus Glenn, Park West Gallery
Cover Design & Layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Comin' Home Baby
Midwest Review (Chris Spector)
The great thing about not being a hipster is that I can freely admit I like this record and this band. Here's a solid set without pretension where a piano trio with a vocalist is kicking out the jams on chestnuts on a cruise ship for people that would rather gorge themselves at the midnight buffet than dig the solid jazz being laid down. Certainly ...
All About Jazz (C. Michael Bailey)
Nominally under drummer/vocalist Les DeMerle's brand, vocalist Bonnie Eisele, brings to DeMerle's infectious brand of jazz that necessary feminine vector. The repertoire on Comin' Home Baby is tried-and-true, well performed, and perfectly satisfying, as have been all similar DeMerle releases. Eisele proves equally capable on the up-tempo tunes ( ...
Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
Drummer Les DeMerle leads a swinging band during a concert on a Celerity Eclipse Cruise Ship that toured from Copenhagen to Estonia. The crowd sure had a fun time between stops, as the team of DeMerle with Johannes Bjerregaard/p, Chris Luard/b and vocalist Bonnie Eisele keep the mood upbeat and swinging.
The recording itself is a bit tinny on th ...
