Mike Devlin, Times Colonist, Victoria BC

Plenty of musicians write and record at their leisure, free from the shackles of outside pressure. The problem with that approach? More often than not, no one is listening to the final product.

Avant-blues band Blue Moon Marquee operates in a grassroots manner out of a bare-bones home studio on their Cowichan Valley property, far from insular music industry cities such as Toronto. But in their case, fans are paying very close attention.

Chadd Cawson, Cowichan Valley Citizen

After nabbing their first ever Juno win last year for Best Blues Album Cowichan Valley swing blues duo Blue Moon Marquee is over the moon to get a nomination in the same category for their new album New Orleans Sessions.

"This one feels particularly special because we did it so grassroots," said Jasmine Colette, who is one half of Blue Moon Marquee as the drummer, bassist and vocalist. A.W. Cardinal is the other half on vocals and guitar. "We’ve always been very indie and been involved on every level of all our albums from writing to producing to marketing, but this album was unique. No label, no funding, no big names. Just pure heart and soul with young players that have a deep reverence for the music."

—Jon Kleinman, Living Blues Magazine 

A passionate aficionado of analogue gear and old-school technique, Atkinson recorded the group live from the studio floor with no overdubs. The result is an exceptionally joyful collection of covers and originals-every track overflows with passion and soul.

Bill Wasserzieher, Blues Music Magazine

Blue Moon Marquee's Scream, Holler & How topped the best-of list I did for Blues Music Magazine in 2022. The Canadian duo, A.W Cardinal on guitar and vocals and Jasmine Colette on vocals and stand-up bass, now have a follow-up release, New Orleans Sessions, which is likely to top my 2024 list as well. Having been cut in the fabled Crescent City, the ten tracks are a fine, rich gumbo of vintage-sounding blues with local R&B seasoning.

antiMUSIC review

Blue Moon Marquee is the stage name of Canadian blues duo A.W. Cardinal (vocals, guitar) and Jasmine Colette (vocals, upright bass) and here they present a 10-song collection featuring four originals with the rest being covers written by blues greats. With Colette on vocals the pair go way back for a sassy take on Memphis Minnie's "Black Rat Swing" where Danny Abrams on sax adds oomph to the old time blues arrangement. The old timey sound is a Blue Moon Marquee specialty and both singers rollick through a swinging take on the Leadbelly-associated "Ain't Going Down" while the sound is appropriately a bit woozy for an interpretation of Bo Carter's "Let's Get Drunk Again." The four original cuts include the swamp funk of "Trickster Coyote" with harmonica flourishes from sideman Jon Atkinson, the slow, crying barroom blues of "What I Wouldn't Do" and a rocking romp called "Red Dust Rising." Also included are takes on the oft-covered classic "St. James Infirmary" and a nice version of Lonnie Johnson's "Got the Blues So Bad," sung by Cardinal and with more harpoon from Atkinson.

Dave Gallaher, Talkin’ the Blues with Microwave Dave - WLRH FM / WJAB FM, Huntsville AL; WUTC FM, Chattanooga TN

I enjoyed airing the previous BMM release, and this one will be fun too.  The obvious chemistry between A.W. and Jasmine propels this set, one in which the recording itself stands nearly as tall as the performances captured.  Listening in headphones and noting what I think of as 'wide mono' instead of a stereo field, the meld of instrumental sounds with vocals being sung as if to be heard over the instruments (not monitored in headphones and perfected in mix adjustments) is a refreshing escape from contemporary styles that contain each track input in its own compression, reverb and eq, resulting in fine isolation but sacrificing what the instruments themselves have to say to each other about getting to play together.  

George W Harris, Jazz Weekly

Earthy and jazzy R&B is served by the duo of singers AW Cardinal/g and Jasmine Coletta/b with the hard hitting  RC Coogan/p, Danny Abrams/bs, Jon Atkinson/harm, Nicholas Solnick-Brett Gallo/dr. Jasmine hits hard on the two step stompers like “Blc Rat Swing” wil e Cardinal Western Swings trhoug “Ain’t Going Down” and smokes t hrough a relaxed “What I Wouldn’t Do”. The band has that old school blues feel of Charles Brown, with the guitar wailing on “Shake It And Break It” and Abrams’ baritone e sax honking on ”Trickster Coyote”. Juke joint jumpin’ jive.

CKUA Traffic Jams - Listen now

CKUA favourites @BlueMoonMarquee are currently sitting on number one on the Top 30 chart with their latest album, New Orleans Sessions.

But ten years ago, the duo of A.W. Cardinal and Jasmine Collette were just starting to make a name for themselves with their blend of swing jazz, blues and roots.

On this week’s Traffic Jams Album Feature, Lisa Wilton @lisackua plays a few highlights from their first demo, Lonesome Ghosts, released in 2014.

Tune in Thursday, Dec 12 at 5:30 pm MT to hear more.

Listen live at ckua.com or if you missed it, listen later with ondemand.ckua.com

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Dennis Rozanski, North Jersey Blues Society

Their blues—original as well as recast—come scuffed, torn around the edges, sneeringly tough, and hauntingly stranded in a time and place of their own making. Not the proverbial Chicago club, though. Nor the southern juke joint. Not even the neighborhood taproom. Too classy; too bright; too commonplace.

Holaayyy #1 on the National Earshot Charts.

Feelin the love, thank you for listening and requesting ‘New Orleans Sessions’

Hope you have been playing it loud and having kitchen dance parties.

What’s your fave tune off the new album?

Recorded over the course of only two days with the sessions separated by a year, the disc has an immediacy that belies its long gestation. With tracks by the likes of Memphis Minnie, Black Rat Swing, Leadbelly, Ain't Going Down, Charlie Patton, Shake It and Break it, and Bo Carter, Let's Get Drunk Again, as well as several originals, the band has stewed up a rollicking good time: witness the saucy sax solo on Black Rat Swing and the driving piano on Ain't Going Down. 

Bill Wilcox, Twangville

Going to sound like my dad here, but I’ll challenge anyone not to tap your toes listening to the new upbeat, old-timey New Orleans Sessions from Canadian duo Blue Moon Marquee.