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Track-by-Track: Ernesto Cervini Dishes Details on His Album ‘Joy’

Ernesto Cervini deservedly received a lot of accolades for his last album ‘Joy.’ He joins us today for a track-by-track rundown of the album.

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Ernesto Cervini, photo by Justin Van Leeuwen
Ernesto Cervini, photo by Justin Van Leeuwen

Although it was released over two years ago, Ernesto Cervini has left a lasting impression with his album Joy. Released in October of 2022, the album received a JUNO Award nomination for ‘Jazz Album of the Year: Solo,’ which affirmed what an important work it has proven to be within Canadian contemporary jazz. Joy is a collection of tracks inspired by Louise Penny’s novel series Three Pines. Penny’s novels have proven so well-liked that they were turned into a television series of the same name, premiering on Amazon Prime Video in December 2022.

Joy is meant to bring to life the warmth, integrity, and compassion within Penny’s novels. It’s a collection of 15 original tracks composed by Cervini himself. They were carefully composed to capture the emotional depth and complexity of the novel series’ themes and characters. When Cervini first read Penny’s books, he was particularly impressed by their depth. Each character has a backstory and an identity attached to them. There is a joy that runs through these characters. It was this “joy” that Cervini felt inspired to translate into music. That’s ultimately how the album came to be.

Cervini joins us today for a special Track-by-Track rundown of Joy. He shares the backstory behind each song and how it ties into the novel series.

1. “Three Pines”

“Three Pines is the name of the village where most of these books take place. It is a refuge, as well as a safe place. It sounds like an incredible place… I would love to visit! I tried to capture the idyllic nature of the village. And I picture a camera (probably a drone) flying in over the village, with kids playing frisbee on the village green while their parents enjoy a drink on the patio of the bistro, and the river Bella Bella burbles by in the background.”

2. “Surprised By Joy”

“These are the words that are written on the bench on the hill in Three Pines. Nobody knows how they got there. In real life, these words are written on a bench in Central Park and were Louise Penny’s words in relation to meeting her husband, Michael.”

3. “Myrna”

“Myrna Landers is one of the beautiful residents of Three Pines. She is the owner of the used bookstore and is a retired psychologist. She is often described as larger than life and is a dear friend to Clara Morrow.”

4. “Sandalwood and Rosewater”

“Armand Gamache is the main character and detective in the books. He is often described as smelling of Sandalwood and Rosewater, and it’s not until later in the books that it’s revealed that his wife Reine-Marie wears perfume of Rosewater (and he, the cologne of Sandalwood). I think this is such a romantic and beautiful way to describe the love and closeness of this couple.”

5. “Clara”

“Clara Morrow is another of the main characters and residents in Three Pines. Through the books, she moves from being a struggling artist to becoming a nationally recognized artist through a series of portraits she does of the various residents of Three Pines. She is zany, as every good artist is, and is often described as having bits of food and/or paint in her frizzy hair. I wanted this song to be a solo saxophone, and Tara Davidson did a perfect job. The song should be searching while also sounding free and beautifully zany.”

6. “Roar and Havoc”

“Roar and Havoc are a father/son who lives in Three Pines. Although they aren’t main characters, they do become murder suspects for a couple of books, and they have such wonderful and memorable names.”

Ernesto Cervini ‘Joy’ album artwork

Ernesto Cervini ‘Joy’ album artwork

7. “Ruth’s Rosa”

“Ruth Zardo is the town’s crazy lady. In her 80s, Ruth is also an internationally acclaimed poet and often sees what’s going on in the town before anybody else. She also loves drinking scotch out of whatever container she can find. Rosa is her pet duck that says ‘fuck, fuck, fuck’ all the time. If you listen to the horns of the melody, you should hear them cursing.”

7. “The Moth”

“This is a poem by Ruth Zardo. It is the central theme of one of the books, about lashing out at the innocent. Alex Samaras sings this song to perfection, creating a beautiful open space for us to explore these incredible words.”

9. “Olivier & Gabri”

“These are two more wonderful residents of Three Pines. Olivier and Gabri are partners, and they run the town Bistro and B&B respectively. These locations, especially the Bistro, are central to most of the interactions in Three Pines. Olivier and Gabri are a beautiful pair of humans, seemingly made for each other. I thought it would be beautiful to have a married couple (and beautiful musicians) Tara Davidson and William Carn play this one together.”

10. “Bella Bella”

“This is the name of the river that runs through Three Pines. Although it is central to one of the books, Rivière Bella Bella is mentioned throughout the series. The music is supposed to capture the Bella Bella at its many stages, from serene and gentle to tumultuous and dangerous.”

11. “Peter Morrow”

“Another resident of Three Pines, and husband Clara Morrow. Peter Morrow is also an artist, but whereas Clara is creative and free (and zany), Peter is controlled and pedantic and safe. He’s also paranoid and haunted by the success of his wife, struggling with the angel and devil on his shoulders. This solo piano piece captures his battle with what’s right and what’s wrong, captured by the song’s inability to settle in a major or minor key.”

12. “The Beautiful Mystery”

“One of my favourite books in the series, The Beautiful Mystery takes place in a monastery in Quebec and centers around the beautiful plainchant singing of the monks that live there. I tried to capture that style of writing, while also employing the incredible voice of Alex Samaras.”

13. “Lacoste”

“Isabelle Lacoste is one of Armand Gamache’s main investigators and she’s a beautifully spiritual character. She often says a silent prayer for the dead at the scene of the crime and that got her ridiculed by some but ultimately it was that humanity that got her hired by Gamache.”

14. “Beauvoir”

“Jean-Guy Beauvoir is Gamache’s second in command, and also (eventually) his son-in-law. He is an excellent investigator, but throughout the books, he also struggles with his demons. This piece tries to capture that idea… every time he makes progress, it’s back to the same issues. Two steps forward, one step back.”

15. “I’m FINE”

“This is the name of Ruth Zardo’s book of poetry. Although the title sounds optimistic, it’s actually an acronym which stands for ‘Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Egotistical.’ This piece captures the feeling of sighing and saying ‘I’m Fine’ when that might not be totally true.”

Born in 2003, V13 was a socio-political website that morphed into PureGrainAudio in 2005 and spent 15 years developing into one of Canada's (and the world’s) leading music sites. On the eve of the site’s 15th anniversary, a full relaunch and rebrand took us back to our roots and opened the door to a full suite of Music, Entertainment, and cultural content.

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