Drummer, composer and bandleader Ernesto Cervini has gotten the Turboprop band back together, and we’re premiering a video above that shows them picking up right where they left off.
After a trio of consistently solid records released in the mid-2010s, Turboprop had gone silent for a while as Cervini pursued other projects, but now they’re back with their fourth long-player, A Canadian Songbook.
As the title makes clear, this album consists entirely of tunes written by Canadians, including some fresh originals by trombonist William Carn and Cervini, too. In addition to Cervini and Carn, Turboprop boasts Joel Frahm on tenor sax, Tara Davidson on alto sax and Adrean Farrugia on piano. They treat all of these songs in the graceful and stylish manner of jazz with which they excel.
Looking outside of Turboprop, Cervini found a tune by a band he’s been a fan of since his teens for an inspired cover. “When I Fall” comes from Canadian indie rock giants the Barenaked Ladies, a gentle song about a skyscraper window washer facing an existential crisis.
For Turboprop’s treatment, the series of solos starts with Carn and then Loomis, both playing to the strong, folk-pop melody and reflecting the sense of contemplation found in Barenaked Ladies’ lyrics. Frahm is remindful of Joe Lovano and his solo is a strong testament to that, playing with a ton of soul and interjecting raspy high notes for accents at the perfect spots. Cervini himself thoughtfully sets and modulates the cadence, making everyone else sound better.
Ernesto Cervini and Turboprop’s A Canadian Songbook is now available for sale, and you can get it from Bandcamp.
Ernesto Cervini CDs on Amazon:
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop
Turboprop – Abundance
Joy
Tetrahedron
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