Chasing the Moon – Nuages

CD review by Tony Smith

TN2507-89 – $20

TN155 Apr 23

This is a very classy jazz/swing ensemble.

The trio Kathy Bluff (violin), Paul Burjan (flute, saxophones) and Peter Malone (guitars) share the vocal work.

For this album, they are joined by John Conley (double bass), Tony Keep (drums, percussion) and Garry Steel (accordion and keyboards).

The 14 tracks on this album were mainly arranged by the trio with Amanda Jones assisting on two tracks.

There are several Django Reinhardt tracks – ‘Nuages’, ‘Daphne’, ‘Djangology’, ‘Douce Ambience’ and ‘Swing 42’, and Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli composed ‘Minor Swing’.

There is a Cole Porter – ‘Night and Day’ – as well as Duke Ellington and Bob Russell’s ‘Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me’.

Other track include ‘I Can’t give you Anything but Love’ by prolific songwriters Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, ‘Stomping at the Savoy’ by Edgar Sampson, Chick Webb, Benny Goodman and Andy Razaf, ‘Noto Swing’ by Lulu Reinhardt, who seems not to be related to Django, and ‘O Pato’ by Jayme Silva and Neuza Teixiera.

In this company, Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ seems a little odd but it is a happy track for the ending.

While the emphasis in this album is on sophisticated ensemble playing, each of the trio has awesome instrumental abilities.

Kathy Bluff puts in the swing on her fretless violin and her husky voice expresses the melancholy perfectly, Peter Malone does a great job setting the rhythm with those jazz chords on guitar and Paul Burjan’s flute and sax wind in and around the melody superbly.

This is one of the best albums you will come across in this genre which has some internationally famous exponents.

Chasing the Moon can hold their heads up and be proud of Nuages.