Juno-nominated jazz trio, Myriad3, graced York last Thursday in the Martin Family Lounge in Accolade East. Composed of Chris Donnelly on piano, Ernesto Cervini on drums and percussion, and Dan Fortin on upright bass, the group shared equal ambition and exuberance in performance, bringing their beautiful and exciting sound to the uplifting contrast of overcast skies and the York subway construction behind them.
Hailing from Toronto, Myriad3 formed accidentally as a self-proclaimed “twist-of-fate” which had brought the trio together in 2010. Each member brought forth awe-inspiring talent, performed with the utmost intricacy, providing the modestly crowded room of York students a one-of-a-kind show.
Myriad3 was nominated for Jazz Album of the Year: Group at the 2015 Juno Awards for their sophomore release, The Where. Their debut album, Tell, was released in 2012. If that wasn’t ambitious enough, Myriad3’s pianist, Donnelly, released a collection of renditions of the group’s music in the style of 8-bit chiptunes in Tell((Chip)), bringing the worlds of classical jazz and the nostalgia of Nintendo Entertainment System together, colliding in a beautiful harmony.
Although jazz is often associated with being soothing and soft, intensity was not devoid in their performance. The ambiance and emotion of the trio’s sound hopped from moments of vigorous intensity, often guttural, bassy transitioning, to intoxicating soothing smoothness.
The performers also treated the audience with an original rendition of Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson’s arrangement of a Duke Ellington piece, which showed exuberance in everything that is in the spirit of the Jazz ethos.
The trio even dabbled in some modes of performance art, where the audience broke out into unbridled applause, when Donnelly lead a synchronized rest and queued his fellow bandmates to break the silence by sniffling; a flawlessly executed move that led to the audience’s amazement.
This could arguably be recognized as the highlight of the performance.
The modestly crowded room enjoyed the jazz outfit’s timing, both speeding up and slowing down tempos and resting pauses, and showing the different streams of consciousness of playing amalgamated into a single, unified form.
The instrumental renditions were not without sentimentality either. One of the group’s songs “Little Lentil” was titled after Cervini’s then unborn child, who was the size of a little lentil. A twinkle sounding beautiful lullaby-esque jazz ballad was reminiscent of the charm of a child’s lullaby, mixed with the thickness of layered artistry found in jazz.
Although the performance was instrumental, Myriad3 managed to conspire laughter as Fortin’s hosting showcased his sense of humour. Pressing on issues of the current state of the Canadian dollar, and the terrifying rising price of cauliflower, brought more personality to the silent moments between renditions, arguably just as entertaining as the music.
The show’s greatest moments however were surely seen from the beginning of the performance until the end. It was seen in each member of the trio’s moods while playing. The looks of joy, unobstructed focus, and dedication on each of their faces showed the genuine love each member had for the performing arts and music alike.
Zack Fenech, Staff Writer
Featured image courtesy of Myrid3
