Ernesto Cervini - Joy
(Three Pines Records, 2022)
Canadian drummer Ernesto Cervini follows up on his well-received 2020 recording, Tetrahedron (Anzic Records) with a thematic collection of songs inspired by Louise Penny's "Three Pines" series of detective novels, featuring Detective Armand Gamache. These books have recently been translated into a miniseries, Three Pines (Amazon Studios, 2022), starring Alfred Molina as Detective Gamache. The books, miniseries, and this recording all blend into a satisfying exercise of imagination and appreciation.
Cervini attempts an immersive experience right down to his record company named for the series. The drummer, who composed all of the music, save for the lyrics on "The Moth" (penned by Marylyn Plessner), errs on the side of positivity and kindness, two attributes that can best describe Gamache. The detective is a kind man, slightly Quixotic, who is gently firm and certain of his intentions. What Cervini provides is not so much a soundtrack as impressionistic vignettes that accentuate the goodness in the Gamache character, ergo, the title. The music is universal. The opening "Three Pine" does have an opening credits soundtrack sound to it, shifting rhythm and tempo that recalls the overture to an opera. Cervini's sister, Amy, sings wordlessly, creating a lushness existing in the cold Canadian clime.
But, it is "Surprised By Joy" that Cervini flexes his muscles. It is a hard bop romp introduced by the drummer that ascends into something akin to a bright and shining Oliver Nelson arrangement, circa The Blues And The Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961). It is a showcase for pianist Adrean Farrugia and tenor saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, whose solos sparkle with invention. Cervini highlights several of the main characters with compositions: "Myrna," (Landers), a retired psychologist, owns a used bookstore. Cervini characterizes here with a medium tempo vamp made saucy with Jefferson's lazy saxophone a la Lou Donaldson. "Clara" is Clara Morrow, a struggling town artist on the ascent, beautifully quirky and pure. She is framed as a quasi-free alto saxophone soliloquy by Tara Davidson, who captures Morrow's distilled essence. "Beauvoir" outlines Gamache's aide-de-camp, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, with an anxious bass solo by Rich Brown that resolves into a confused and adamant coda.
Joy is an exciting recording without its subtext, All things considered, it reveals Cervini's keen ear for composition and noir. Seek out Louise Penny's series. The books are better than the series, but the series is still entertaining.