About the Show
As unpredictable, fearless, and entertaining as their namesake, Le Chat Lunatique
purveys an addictive genre they call “filthy, mangy jazz,” a signature sound that
makes you want to smoke and drink too much—if only you could get off the dance floor.
Le jazz hot of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli is their north star, but they use that beacon to navigate through a wide range of
genres, blending Western swing, classical, reggae, d00-wop, and “anything else we
damn well please” into strikingly original compositions and audaciously reworked standards
alike.
Le Chat Lunatique is Muni Kulasinghe’s theatrical vocals, his violin skittering across
the music like beads of water on a hot skillet—inspired as much by a legless Polish
gypsy he encountered on his vagabond travels as by the great Grappelli. It’s the axe
of guitarist John Sandlin, the classicist who fell under the sway of Reinhardt, felling
bar after bar of music with ferocious dexterity. It’s the slap-happy bass and slyly
sweet vocals of Jared Putnam, the sinisterly innocent one whose dark past embraces
both death metal and Western swing. It’s Greg.
The group began prowling the nightspots of Albuquerque -that secret haven of hot jazz
- back in 2005, spontaneously impregnating the ears of unsuspecting audience members,
who found themselves unable to stop listening or dancing or making merry. From their
earliest gigs, Le Chat Lunatique has offered swinging originals with ear-snagging
hooks and stories to tell—well-constructed little gems that propagate earworms for
ongoing pleasure. Devilishly clever lyrics offer insight into l’amour (“falling in
love is like eating tacos”), a louche paean to a doting millionairess (“Buy me a Cadillac,
buy me a yacht / Buy me everything that I haven’t got”), minatory observations on
fate (“the bus of God will run you
over”), and the inevitable bitterness of a broken heart (“Miss Lady . . . please do
me the courtesy of drinking in some other gin joint”).
The band’s repertoire also features original arrangements of tunes that stretch from
kindergarten favorites (“Frère Jacques”) to pop hits (“Straight Up”) to swing anthems
(“Minnie the Moocher”) to Reinhardt classics (“Blue Drag”). Every single tune is more
than covered—it’s completely “Le-Chat-ified.” First, it’s dunked in the group’s collective
musical subconscious, and then they play the hell out of it. Take, for example, Sandlin’s
inspired gypsy jazz arrangement of Eric Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1 - over a reggae rhythm
(say what?). Then there’s the medieval liturgical intro to “House of the Rising Sun,”
which ultimately descends into transcendent desperation.
Riding the popularity of their acclaimed first CD, Demonic Lovely, which featured
all original tunes, and their follow-up collection of covers, Under the Covers (Vol.1),
Le Chat Lunatique has been inducing musical mania in an ever-widening circle—from
the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, to the clubs of England, to the
boards of the national theater in Novi Sad, Serbia, where they performed their commissioned
score for Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental's ground breaking theatrical production Flamingo/Winnebago. In
their home state of New Mexico, they’ve won award after award annually for best band,
best jazz act, and best song.
Their irreverent humor, their intensity, and their expert musicianship will soon win
them your acclamation as the best time you’ve ever had in public with your clothes
on.
About the Artists
Muni Kulasinghe was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Sri Lankan parents and spent his formative school
years in the sunny southwest and summers sojourning in serendipitous Sri Lanka. At
7 years old, he began the violin because he wanted to be like his older sister.
At Colorado College, he was lucky enough to fall in with the Bowed Piano Ensemble,with whom he toured much of Western Europe. In Oslo, Norway, during their first tour they were even on the same bill as Herbie Hancock! After university, young Muni went adventuring to Tunisia. That was delightful for him.
Upon his return stateside, he rejoined friends in the Buntport Theater in Denver, with whom he put on plays. He also rejoined another friend, Thaddeus Phillips of Lucidity Suitcase, to create and perform “The Earth’s Sharp Edge” at La MaMa Theater in NYC and the Painted Bride in Philadelphia. For one year he again left these august shores to play gypsy swing in Montpellier, France. He learnt a great deal about cheese, wine and not brushing his teeth.
Currently, he plays the violin with Le Chat, teaches Elements of Improv at UNM, manages the Noon Concert Series for the Arts-in-Medicine program at UNMH, and happily does theater with friends when they ask.
John Sandlin (guitar) has been playing music for twenty-one years. He received his Bachelor of
Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance in 2003 from the University of New Mexico. During that time, he studied with the great
Michael Chapdelaine, former student of Andres Segovia. In addition to classical guitar,
John studied jazz guitar with Michael Anthony, 25-year Los Angeles studio veteran
and local jazz hero. John also had the great opportunity to be exposed to many styles
of jazz playing in UNM Jazz Bands under the tutelage of Glenn Kostur.
John has played with many local groups over the past decade. The Melizmatix, a lounge-y
funk trio, have been the Reptilian Lounge House Band at the Tricklock Theatre Company for five consecutive years. In addition, The
Melizmatix held down a weekly happy hour gig at the swank OPM nightclub in downtown Albuquerque. The Sidestreet Strut Swing Sextet, featuring
some of Albuquerque’s great young jazz players, has been a usual staple at the Tuesday night Swing Dance hosted by Desi Brown of the Primordial
Swing Dance Group. Out of this band, John and tenor saxophonist Starr Vavreck formed The Sandlin and Starr Jazz Duo. The Duo has
opened for many acts in the Popejoy Lobby, including
Ahmad Jamal, The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Al Dimeola and Manuel Barueco, The Benny Goodman
Orchestra, and others.
A native of Durango, CO, John also has a great love for reggae music and is a former
member of the dub reggae group Sub Agencia. Members included Otto Barthel, former
member of the popular local group Giant Steps, and former member of the world famous
U.K. ska band The Specials, "Aitch" Harrington "Charlie" Bembridge. Sub Agencia’s
highlights include opening for The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Andrew Tosh, and
The Easy Star All Stars. In a brief trucker country stint, John played guitar in the
enormously popular Breaker 19, which makes a couple of surprise appearances a year.
Upon making the acquaintance of jazz violinist Muni Kulasinghe, John was able to tap
back into the jazz influences of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. They started a formidable
repertoire of gypsy swing music. Drummer Fernando Garavito and Bassist Jared Putnam
soon materialized to form Le Chat Lunatique. The rest is future tense…
Jared Putnam (bass) has lived in Albuquerque since 1990. That’s a long time. He has two kids named
Jack and Claire.
Fernando Garavito was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. At the age of 18, he moved to the United
States with his family, initially to Maine and two years later to New Mexico where
he now lives. Son to a writer and a ballet teacher, he was surrounded by music and
the arts since an early age. He began by playing piano at the age of 8, and at 12
he moved towards the study of drums. At first, self-taught, he learnt mostly by listening
to a great variety of musical genres. Being influenced by pop, rock, funk, heavy metal,
ska, reggae, and his native traditional music, he developed a good versatility in
switching between different musical settings. He also sought more formal instruction.
He took two years of drum lessons from a Cuban drum master residing in Colombia, Fran
Calzadilla, while participating in multiple ensembles and putting all his learning
into practice.
He was formally introduced to Jazz upon his arrival to the US in 2002. He enrolled in the jazz studies program at the University of Southern Maine, and studied under the mentoring of drummer Les Harris Jr. He was involved in many musical ensembles, predominantly jazz-oriented, performing at recitals and at local venues. He moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the summer of 2004, where he continues the study of music.
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