Les DeMerle Gypsy Rendezous Vol. 1 CD

After a serendipitous meeting with a gypsy jazz outfit out of Hawaii, drummer Les DeMerle found his way into a half-songbook, half-gypsy jazz outing that alternates between casual swings and frantic string swooning. There's an odd juxtaposition flowing throughout the album -- the gypsy jazz, provided outstandingly by the Gypsy Pacific quartet, plays wonderful and light renditions in the Reinhardt/Grappelli style. At the same time, however, DeMerle is irrepressible, bashing his way through long and almost out-of-place drum solos in the opening track. Vocalist Bonnie Eisele has an excellent voice, but has a similar tendency to use bombast and outweigh the string contributions. It's just in a few restricted locations that the two styles merge well -- W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" provides a surprising bit of Spanish flair in its mix, for example. The album is chock-full of good performances all around, but it seems to be two albums placed next to one another with the true synergies coming and going rather than staying -- when the styles meet up, it's excellent. They just don't meet up as cleanly or as often as one really wants after the first doses. ~ Adam Greenberg

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 en

Liner Note Authors: Jake Rohrer; Les DeMerle.

Recording information: Ulu Loa Studio, Haiku Maui, Hawaii (02/04/2008-02/09/2008).

Personnel: Les DeMerle (vocals, drums); Tom Conway (guitar); David Choy (soprano saxophone).

Audio Mixers: Jake Rohrer; Les DeMerle; Bonnie Eisele.