Ernesto Cervini: Tetrahedron
Anzic Records

A three-dimensional triangle with four sides, the tetrahedron proves an apt metaphor for Ernesto Cervini's latest band. Though Tetrahedron began as a trio featuring the Toronto-based drummer, electric bassist Rich Brown, and alto saxophonist Luis Deniz, it's since morphed into a quartet with the addition of the Fender Stratocaster-wielding Nir Felder. As moves go, it was a smart one, given how critical each is to the balance demonstrated on the recording. Consistent with that, just as the tetrahedron loses its shape if any one of its vertices is removed, each member is integral to Tetrahedron's collective expression—take one away and it's no longer the same entity.

It's but one of many irons in Cervini's fire. When not operating Orange Grove Publicity, he helms a number of outfits, among them Turboprop, the Ernesto Cervini Quartet, and Tunetown, and also drums in the Radiohead tribute project Idioteque. Tetrahedron's a different animal, however, in being Cervini's first group with an electric bassist and electric guitarist. With Cuban-born, Toronto-based Deniz added to the mix, a remarkable synergy is achieved. Tetrahedron's style? Think electrified hard bop of a rather abstract kind where structural guidelines bring definition without delimiting individual expression. Originals and covers rub shoulders, with tunes by Vince Mendoza, Bunky Green, and Romberg-Hammerstein II alongside four originals by Cervini plus one by Brown.

Produced by the drummer and Toronto bassist Dan Fortin, the quartet's debut rewards on multiple levels. One of the more attractive things about it is the way conventions are subtly upturned. With Brown laying down an assured foundation, Cervini's able to play with abandon; Deniz and Felder do likewise, the latter generally eschewing comping for a more abstract spontaneity. Interestingly, Cervini played with the guitarist during a four-year New York stint, after which the drummer returned to Toronto in 2007 to solidify his reputation as a key player in the Canadian jazz scene and tireless promoter of his fellow jazz artists. Modern Drummer cited Art Blakey and Billy Higgins when describing Cervini's feel, but Jack DeJohnette is perhaps a better reference point, specifically for the spontaneous invention of his playing. Like him, Cervini plays responsively, with gestures and accents arising in the moment to what's happening around him.

Indicative of the fresh mindset in play, the group leaves off voicing the melody in “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” until the end, opting instead to let the composition gradually come into focus. An unaccompanied bass rumination appears first that's joined in turn by scurrying drums, guitar accents, and fluttering sax, momentum building rapidly. Coherence sets in with the front-liners unleashing extended concurrent statements and the rhythm section mirroring their moves. A surprisingly ominous tone infuses the tension-filled performance, a swaggering display that speaks powerfully on behalf of the quartet's interplay and engagement. As freeform is Brown's “Forward Motion,” which finds Cervini and Felder opening the performance with a fiery improvisation to get things underway. The bassist and leader power the tune's muscular postbop with immense drive, their foundation an urgent ground for an untethered Deniz to extemporize over before Cervini floods the space with a volcanic solo of his own—forward motion indeed.

Named after the To Kill a Mockingbird character, “Boo Radley” is as off-centre in its intricate latticework as Harper Lee's shadowy figure, though the performance is never less than a full-bore stampede. The drummer nods as well to baseball pitcher Marcus Stroman in “Stro,” an even more twisty piece that sees the group flirting with unusual tempos and melodic patterns of the kind favoured by Steve Coleman. Whereas a swinging rendition of “Summit Song” by Chicago altoist Bunky Green exudes a bluesy hardbop vibe, Felder initiates Mendoza's ballad “Angelicus” with a captivating rubato intro, after which the group digs into the tune with as much conviction as it does aggressive fare, the alto saxist in particular impressing for his heartfelt expression.

Throughout the nearly fifty-minute outing, the playing's tight, as evidenced by the precision with which the unit executes the stops and starts within “Forward Motion.” It's safe to say Tetrahedron signifies a bold new chapter in Cervini's ongoing story, the group's acoustic-electric fusion a promising harbinger of things to come. With the drummer having so many other group projects on the go, it's impossible to know when a sequel to this memorable debut effort will appear but with any luck it'll be sooner than later.

April 2020