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 the piano, but its hard to resist the bouncy instrumentals like “Shiny Stockings” and “Manteca” that bookframe the upbeat collection of standards. Eisele has an attractively nasal voice that times here delivery like Mariano Rivera on the hip “All That Jazz” and jivey “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.” DeMerle also takes some time behind the mic, doing a nice duet on the KC shuffle of “All Right, OK, You Win” as well as boogalooing to “Early In The Morning.” A nice filling set of musical comfort food.
Origin Records