Joe D'Elia the All Star Band

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The best wedding band I have ever seen, bar none! As a music teacher and active performer myself, I've seen a lot of acts, and none have come close to this ensemble. Five outstanding vocalists, two of whom double as instrumentalists, and one of the slickest instrumental combos I've heard. At my brother's wedding this past weekend, the band provided almost six hours of nonstop music, from light jazz and pop during the cocktail hour to roof-raising party music into the midnight hour. Most wedding bands seem to specialize in one or two styles of music, and hack their way through a few select numbers from different genres in order to provide "something for everyone," with middling degrees of success. Not so with Joe D'elia and the All Star Band - they opened with a half hour of big-band swing and standards, and you would swear Old Blue Eyes was in the room with the Nelson Riddle orchestra. The trombonist took the lead vocals on "Beyond the Sea," and he WAS Bobby Darin. A spot-on Satchmo turn from the guitarist gave a gorgeous rendition of "What a Wonderful World." Even older fare like "Goody Goody" had the joint jumping, with tight vocal harmonies and encouragement to sing along. From standards, the band moved on to a blistering Motown set, and the rhythm section became the Funk Brothers. The tunes flowed so seamlessly that you'd swear a DJ was crossfading platters - no awkward chatter in between songs, just a new riff from one band member that the others would immediately pick up. While many of the selections were virtually identical to the familiar recorded versions, some old songs you thought you knew were given fresh new Latin-tinged or reggae-inspired arrangements that practically ordered you to move. Earth, Wind & Fire, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, - every artist's material was handled with equal finesse and skill. We all left the dance floor exhausted from dancing and awed at the band's performance.

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