Press Highlights
“Cervini’s subtle navigation, fine enunciation and wise choice of material, combined with Oded Lev-Ari’s elegant arrangements, make this CD a gem” – Downbeat Magazine, Editor’s Pick
“Amy Cervini stands out from the pack in her generation.” - Allmusic.com
“…she delivers each with deft authority, easily capturing the effortless swing of Dearie’s delivery while making ample use of her own richly coloured tone. Definitely a disc to dig.” – The Globe and Mail
“Cervini’s honeyed voice is laced with just enough arsenic to mirror the sweet yet piquant duality of Dearie’s deliver.” – Jazz Times
“Cervini makes the lyrics sparkle.” - The Ottawa Citizen
“Excellent jazz vocal album by the talented singer backed by a ridiculously impressive cast…” – eMusic
“Digging Me, Digging You is a brilliant work of vocal beauty and composition choices.” – JazzWrap
“Amy Cervini is the perfect choice to reinterpret Dearie’s works.” – The Dirty Lowdown
“Amy Cervini has distilled the strengths and siphoned off the weaknesses of the Dearie method in her marvelous tribute.” – eMusic (Britt Robson)
“Amy has a wonderfully clear warm alto voice with excellent enunciation — 5 Stars“ - Audiophile Audition
“an impeccable release that is as entertaining as they come!” - @Critical Jazz
“From beginning to end, “Digging Me, Digging You” will make you smile - if this recording does not brighten your day, seek outside help.” – Step Tempest
“Amy Cervini has everything to become a major voice in modern jazz.” – Jazz, Blues & Co.
“…a joyful effervescence that’s emotionally honest and affirming…” – ICON
“Cervini is a talent deserving attention, making some very strong choices with Digging You Digging Me .” – All About Jazz
“clear diction and secure intonation, embedded in elaborate arrangements” – Der Sontag
“Cervini digs Blossom Dearie, has the voice and attitude to pull off a tribute album and does so in fine fashion.” – MidWest Record
“Amy Cervini is a sublime conqueror of The Great American Songbook…” – Gaffa.dk
“Filled with humour and wit, Amy Cervini’s Digging Me, Digging You is a loving but never hokey homage to Blossom Dearie.” – Blinded by Sound
“Thankfully, we have sophisticated singers like Amy Cervini that know the power of an artfully-written, sensitively-performed song.” – Jazz History Online
“…it is Cervini’s talent and personality, which sparks this delightful and entertaining offering. Just like Blossom Dearie, Amy Cervini is a very special singer and this listener looks forward to digging her more.” – NYC Jazz Record
NYC Release dates
Hope to see you at one of our New York area release dates! We’ll be at the Long Island Winter Jazz Fest on March 3 and at the 55 Bar on March 6 & 7 (joined by Anat Cohen, Nadje Noorduis, Jesse Lewis, Matt Aronoff & Matt Wilson - horrible band right? Too band they’re all such jerks.)
Radio
I’m very excited that “Digging Me, Digging You” is chartbound on the JazzWeek charts and is #34 on the CMJ charts! If you’re a radio person, please call your favorite station and request us!
Some more press quotes
“Cervini’s subtle navigation, fine enunciation and wise choice of material, combined with Oded Lev-Ari’s elegant arrangements, make this CD a gem” – Downbeat Magazine, Editor’s Pick
“…she delivers each with deft authority, easily capturing the effortless swing of Dearie’s delivery while making ample use of her own richly coloured tone. Definitely a disc to dig.” – The Globe and Mail
“Excellent jazz vocal album by the talented singer backed by a ridiculously impressive cast…” – eMusic
“Amy Cervini has distilled the strengths and siphoned off the weaknesses of the Dearie method in her marvelous tribute.” – eMusic (Britt Robson)
“Amy Cervini has everything to become a major voice in modern jazz.” – Jazz, Blues & Co.
“…a joyful effervescence that’s emotionally honest and affirming…” – ICON
DownBeat Editor’s Pick!
I’m honored to have been chosen as an Editor’s Pick in this month’s DownBeat newsletter. Here is the review:
BY BOBBY REED
Amy Cervini, Digging Me Digging You
A successful tribute album illuminates the artistry of the performer who recorded it, as well as the artist who is being saluted. Such is the case with Amy Cervini’s third solo album, Digging Me Digging You, an homage to singer and pianist Blossom Dearie (1924–2009). Backed by a superb ensemble that includes Bruce Barth (piano), Jesse Lewis (guitar) and Matt Wilson (drums), Cervini gracefully interprets 13 tracks that were composed by or associated with Dearie. Cervini relishes the opportunity to highlight Dearie’s sense of humor, as evidenced by the funny lyrics and playful vocal delivery in tracks like Dave Fishberg’s “My Attorney Bernie” (“I am blessed with my attorney Bernie/ I’m impressed with the way he runs the store/ He’s got Dodger season boxes and an office full of foxes/ It’s amazing all the different things your average guy might need a lawyer for”). There’s also sly, darker humor as well, such as “I’m Shadowing You,” composed by Dearie and Johnny Mercer, with its lyric “both of us will be so independent…happy as can be, just you, the Secret Service and me.” There are also serious chops on display here, such as Avishai Cohen’s muted trumpet solo and Cervini’s breakneck delivery on “Down With Love” and Anat Cohen’s clarinet solo on the ballad “May I Come In?” The disc concludes with a slow, cello-centric arrangement of “Figure Eight,” a Bob Dorough composition that listeners of a certain age will remember from the “Schoolhouse Rock” educational cartoon series. Cervini’s subtle navigation, fine enunciation and wise choice of material, combined with Oded Lev-Ari’s elegant arrangements, make this CD a gem—regardless of how familiar the listener is with Dearie’s oeuvre.
(Source: http)
Press Highlights, so far
“Digging Me, Digging You is a brilliant work of vocal beauty and composition choices.” – JazzWrap
“an impeccable release that is as entertaining as they come!” - @Critical Jazz
“From beginning to end, “Digging Me, Digging You” will make you smile - if this recording does not brighten your day, seek outside help.” – Step Tempest
“Cervini is a talent deserving attention, making some very strong choices with Digging You Digging Me .” – All About Jazz
“good song choices and good singing.” - Winnipeg Free Press
“clear diction and secure intonation, embedded in elaborate arrangements” – Der Sontag
“Cervini digs Blossom Dearie, has the voice and attitude to pull off a tribute album and does so in fine fashion.” – MidWest Record
“Amy Cervini is a sublime conqueror of The Great American Songbook…” – Gaffa.dk
Listen to tracks from the new record!
All About Jazz Review of Digging Me, Digging You
It’s funny hearing such signature Blossom Dearie songs as “Dear John” and the Schoolhouse Rock classic “Figure Eight” without that oh-so-identifiable voice and delivery. Funny, but Amy Cervini is a talented enough vocalist that it isn’t the slightest bit distracting to not have that adorably individual style and delivery that is unmistakably Blossom Dearie.
Cervini claims to be paying homage, not so much to her predecessor’s specific work as a pianist or a vocalist, but to the choices Dearie made as an artist. Cervini herself makes all the right choices on this, her third, recording. The players she’s chosen are not only top notch New York players, but the perfect backing band for a vocalist. Pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Matt Aronoff and drummer Matt Wilson are greatly sensitive, with huge ears and a feel for accompaniment that was also a feature of some of Dearie’s best records, which featured players such as Kenny Burrell, Ray Brown, and Jo Jones. Her choice of tunes is also superb, sprinkling in Dearie classics with less often heard gems such as “Rhode Island,” as well as standards that Dearie made her own, like “Tea for Two.”
The session opens up with “Everything I’ve Got,” with the perfect for tribute line, “Everything I’ve got belongs to you,” though this is not the case when it comes to Cervini. With a mature voice that’s nothing like the girlish voice to which Dearie was often ascribed, Cervini will never be mistaken for Dearie. Warm and full, while Cervini demonstrates some of the recently deceased singer’s delivery on “Down with Love,” she doesn’t try to “do” Dearie. Barth plays wonderfully throughout, especially on ballads such as “I Like You, You’re Nice,” while Wilson continues to show why he is one of the most in-demand drummers around, further proving his ability to play in any setting and approaching the session with a restrained and laidback approach that is pitch-perfect for some classic Dearie bands.
One problem with tributes is that—especially when they are effective—it might ultimately be preferable to go straight to the source, and Digging Me Digging You does serve as a reminder of just how great Dearie was. There are moments when the songs feel a tad impersonal compared with the originals; how can any voice be quite as personal and special as Blossom Dearie’s? Still, Cervini is also a talent deserving attention, making some very strong choices with Digging You Digging Me .
