Drummer Ernesto Cervini does successfully leads from behind with a flexible team of Tara Davidson/as-ss, Joel Frahm/ts, William Carn/tb, Adrean Farrugia/p and Dan Loomis/b through a mix of originals and modern material.
Cervini uses his traps like a painter chooses brushes and colors on his palate, with some nimble stick work that swings lightly with the saxes on “The Libertine” which slowly builds up to a dramatic and exciting stamped. His ride cymbal swaggers a blues walk for Frahm’s smoky tenor on “Pennies From Heaven” and along with Farrugia creates a pulsating sway for the sax harmonies to gel on “No Rain.” The team of Cervini and Loomis do a bluesy table dance that has Davidson swirling and ultimately intertwining with Frahm on the sensuous “Granada Bus” while the two get meditative with Farrugia as Cervini’s brushes flicker like church candles along with Carn’s trombone on “The Daily Mail.” Palpable pulses.
www.ernestocervini.com