about ernesto cervini quartet
In just a few years, the Ernesto Cervini Quartet has earned a reputation as one of North America’s most exciting modern jazz groups. Featuring drummer-leader Ernesto Cervini, saxophonist Joel Frahm, pianist Adrean Farrugia and bassist Dan Loomis, the Quartet released the live album There in autumn 2011. Of the recording, The Ottawa Citizen said: “On There, you can practically hear the musicians smiling and reveling in their creativity and musical repartee. Some superb, high-energy, spur-of-the-moment music.” A review in The WholeNote added that the band is “blazing a path through contemporary jazz with smart new ideas and a burning intensity that shouts to be heard. An album that has be one of 2011’s best.”
There is the follow-up to the group’s sophomore album, Little Black Bird, from 2009. That disc got a four-star review in Downbeat (“exemplifies `float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’,” it said), while the praise in All About Jazz went like this: “With talent this big and music this magical, the only thing `little’ about this album is the title. Ernesto Cervini, the quartet’s leader, is a fiery, imaginative drummer and composer, and he matches wits with saxophonist Frahm and the rest of the group through excellent interplay and deep groove.”
About his vision for the live recording of There, Cervini explains: “Little Black Bird was a studio release, and when the band toured the material afterward, it was amazing to hear how the music came alive − the music was really grooving by the end of that tour. So, for the next album, I wanted to capture that vibe of new material having been honed on the road, and everything came together in Vancouver. The club was packed; so rather than playing to the walls of a studio, we were performing to a lot of people who were totally into it. You can hear us reacting to the crowd and egging each other on. Instead of the usual thing of `Wow, I wish we had recorded that gig,’ we actually got it.”
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Ernesto Cervini: The Canadian drummer-bandleader, a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Manhattan School of Music, has played some of the hippest stages in North America, from New York City’s Birdland, Jazz Standard and 55 Bar to the Montreal Bistro, Toronto’s Rex Jazz & Blues Club and Massey Hall. Along with fronting his own quartet, Cervini co-leads the trios MEM3 and Myriad, as well as drums for such groups as the Amy Cervini Quintet (led by his singer sister) and vocal group Monday Off. Unlike some drummer-led bands, the Ernesto Cervini Quartet is not about “drum solos and songs in 13/8,” he says. “This is about writing engaging, involving music, whether the tune is playful or taps some deeper emotion. The rhythm and time are elastic and we’re interacting with freedom, so the music flows naturally.”
Joel Frahm: One of the most admired saxophonists on the New York scene, Frahm has made a name for himself with several albums as a leader, including Live at Smalls (2011), We Used to Dance (2007), Don’t Explain (with pianist Brad Mehldau, 2004), The Navigator(2000) and Sorry, No Decaf (1999). The Wisconsin native has also recorded numerous high-profile albums as a sideman with the likes of vocal star Jane Monheit and drummer Matt Wilson. About Frahm, Cervini says: “Joel is an incredibly gifted soloist who plays with a lot of emotion, and he isn’t afraid to take the music further. When I first heard Joel play a tune of mine, I was amazed – he took ownership of it with this combination of confidence and sensitivity that I now know is totally characteristic. Since then, he has become like family to me.”
Adrean Farrugia: Blending subtle dynamism and hard-driving swing, Farrugia has become one of Canada’s most sought-after young jazz musicians. As a leader, he has released the albums Richochet (2010) and V 1.0: Live at the Senator (2007), and he works as a pianist in the Matt Dusk Band, Quinsin Nachoff’s Rhodes Band, Brad Goode Quartet, Bob Brough Quartet, Indo-fusion band Tasa and Darcy Hepner Big Band, among others. He won a Juno Award in 2008 for best traditional jazz recording for his playing on Brandi Disterheft’s Debut. About Farrugia, Cervini notes: “Adrean and I have such sympathetic ideas about music; in fact, he was the first person I called when I put my quartet together. Adrean has an aggressive approach to the music when it’s called for that I dig – he spurs me on.”
Dan Loomis: A prolific presence as a bassist and bandleader, the New York-based Loomis leads his eponymous Quartet and co-leads collaborative projects Spoke and the Wee Trio. As a sideman, he plays with the TS Monk Sextet/Tentet and multiple other bands, appearing at the most prestigious venues across North America and Europe. The St. Louis native has released two albums with the Dan Loomis Quartet, I Love Paris (2007) and Tondos (2004); with the Wee Trio, he has released Capitol Diner, Vol. 1 (2008), Capitol Diner, Vol. 2: Animal Style (2010) and Ashes to Ashes: A David Bowie Intraspective(2011); with Spoke, he has released Spoke (2008) and Succinct (2011). About the bassist, Cervini says: “We met while living in Brooklyn and ended up playing sessions together. Dan has this strong, ideal musicianship, and he’s a really beautiful spirit, too, with the kind of enthusiasm that’s vital.”