Catching lighting in a bottle is rare. Musical magic happens when be it a solo artist or in this case a hard charging quartet much a connection between not only themselves but in this case a live crowd to have then push musical boundaries that otherwise may have been left untouched.
Such is the case with The Ernesto Cervini Quartet and There, a live recording brimming with vitality, energy and the type of unbridled swing seldom heard these days. Jazz can be found anywhere, literally. There is a wonderful mix of engaging compositions including "Granada Bus" and "TGV" which were inspired by Cervini's travels. Further proving the point jazz can be found anywhere, "Little Black Bird" is a work that was inspired by what Cervini refers to in the liner notes as a verbose bird he heard while in Mexico.
Ernesto Cervini is a dynamic force and while Dan Loomis on bass and Adrean Farrugia more than hold their own anchoring a killer rhythm section, Joel Frahm is quickly making a solid case as one of the better "unknown" saxophone players today. The showstopper in this live set may be the more post bop take on the classic "Secret Love" which showcases a quartet that is all clearly playing from the same musical hymnal.
A good live recording in any genre takes some doing. A good live recording in jazz is sometimes the equivalent of a musical miracle and There we have it, lighting in a bottle.
Tracks: Granada Bus; Secret Love; Gramps; TGV; The Monks Of Oka; Alert; Woebegone; Tullamore; Little Black Bird.
Personnel: Joel Frahm: saxophones; Adrean Farrugia: piano; Dan Loomis: bass; Ernesto Cervini: drums.
