by Damian Garde
Daily Lobo
Modern jazz is often associated with stuffy clubs frequented by bespectacled men in cardigans.
However, for Le Chat Lunatique, this definition could hardly be more misguided. The Albuquerque quartet
specializes in what they call "filthy, mangy jazz," a rollicking racket that would sound right at home in the grimiest
of 1920s speakeasies.
Drawing inspiration from France's legendary Hot Club, the band sounds a bit like Duke Ellington with an absinthe
problem, or perhaps the soundtrack to Idlewild if the film were a documentary. Though its influences betray an air
of stiff artiness, Le Chat Lunatique serves as a reminder that - despite all the pretensions of modern musicians -
jazz began as primal dance music.
The band's dedication to the sounds of the era does not stop at sound. All four members honor the sartorial side
of swing, taking the stage in dapper suits and the occasional fedora. Presentation plays a large role in Le Chat
Lunatique, down to bassist Jared Putnam's Salvador Dalí mustache.
Formed in the fall of 2005, the band is comprised of Muni Kulasinghe on violin, John Sandlin on guitar, Putnam
on stand-up bass and Fernando Garavito on drums. While a gypsy-jazz band surely defies the norm of the local
band scene, Putnam said the band has no trouble finding an audience.
"It's been surprisingly smooth," he said. "People seem to get what we're doing."
The band's fanbase spans beyond the average jazz aficionado, including swing kids, middle-aged business
types, the occasional flock of grandparents and - as Putnam jokingly pointed out - hot college girls.
"Cri Du Chat," a song named presumably after a disease, is a perfect distillation of the Lunatique sound. The
virtuoso style guitar and fiddle are not unlike those displayed by jazz legends Django Reinhardt and Stéphane
Grapelli. However, the thumping rhythm section avoids the tidiness of most jazz and instead takes on a guttural
wallop Tom Waits might appreciate.
The band plays a cover of Tex Williams' "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)," but instead of the country
twang of the original, Le Chat Lunatique supplements a swing beat and walking bass - transforming an old
country standard into a raucous affair.
Le Chat Lunatique's average set is comprised of half cover songs and half originals, Putnam said. Its popularity
on stage led the band to release Puss in Bootleg, an album of live recordings. After its continued successes, the
band is in the process of completing an album composed entirely of original songs. Le Chat Lunatique is also in
the process of shooting its first music video.
Daily Lobo August 30, 2006. V.111, Issue 009
