Blue Moon Marquee Bare Knuckles and Brawn

Blue Moon Marquee
Bare Knuckles and Brawn
Blue Moon Marquee Music

This disc from the Vancouver, British Columbia duo fell through the cracks last summer. Blue Moon Marquee is comprised of A.W. Cardinal (vocals and guitar) and Jasmine Colette (bass/vocals). They are joined on this recording by Darcy Phillips (piano/organ), Gerry Cook (sax/clarinet), Jimmy "Hollywood" Badger (drums), Jack Garton (trumpet), and Paul Pigat (guitar). Cardinal describes the music on this recording, "It is a fine example of what we sound like with a larger ensemble. The sound is a mixture of swing styles of music like blues and jazz, western swing and New Orleans. Think Django Reinhardt/Charlie Christian meets Tom Waits."

Cardinal's 'whiskey-drenched' vocals with his raspy, steel-wool voice might suggest Tom Waits, while the music evokes smoke-filled lounges of decades past. Some (not this listener) may find his singing an acquired taste. Cardinal wrote the eleven songs starting with "Big Black Mamba" about a shadowy, fantasy girl, with Cook's barrelhouse baritone sax solo to punctuate Cardinal's complaint about her being the meanest girl he ever saw. The tango feel adds to the song's evocative mood. Then there is the jaunty "Smoke Rings For My Baby," with a rousing tenor sax solo and driving swing guitar under the heated vocal. "Fever Flickering Flame" has the feel of a French back street cabaret. Phillips takes a brief solo, followed by a couple of animated joint tenor sax-guitar choruses.

Collette sings in an appealing, understated manner on the haunting "Hard Times Hit Parade," with Garton's muted trumpet adding musical shading. "As I Lay Dying" presents an intriguing take on feminism and the fall of the patriarchy. "High Noon" is a perky performance with a Django Reinhardt meets Rex Stewart vibe. There is plenty of delightful interplay between Cardinal and Pigat on the effervescent "The Red Devil Himself," with a delightful swinging single-note solo. "Big Smoke" is a topical blues addressing climate change about "Big smoke baby, whole town burning down." Collette's restrained, yet vibrant singing, Garton's growling trumpet, and Cook's tenor sax enliven a song inspired by Billie Holiday, "52nd Street Strut."

Better a year late than never, this listener is glad that he came upon to "Bare Knuckles and Brawn." One appreciates the cross-genre character of the music and the restraint of the performances, resulting in a most engaging album.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance of "As I Lay Dying."