Mike Murley
Saxophonist Mike Murley traces his arc from jam sessions in Windsor, Nova Scotia - where musicians crammed his family’s living room - and the grade-seven trip that first let him hear Phil Nimmons and the Boss Brass live, to busking across Europe with the irreverent Shuffle Demons and discovering the street-level power of jazz.
In this intimate conversation with host Ernesto Cervini - himself a former student - Murley opens up about the craft behind the music, the communities that shaped him, and the quiet courage required to stay true to your artistic vision. Speaking from his Halifax home, he reveals why he contemplates collaboration vs. virtuoso ego, and what the future holds for an artist still discovering new ways to tell his story through sound.
Creators and Guests
Host
Ernesto Cervini
JUNO Award winner Ernesto Cervini is a sought-after drummer, composer and bandleader and an influential presence on Canada’s modern jazz scene and beyond. He has documented his vision with the Ernesto Cervini Quartet (featuring Joel Frahm), the innovative sextet Turboprop, numerous co- led trio projects including MEM3, Myriad3 and TuneTown, and also the quartet Tetrahedron, featuring acclaimed guitarist Nir Felder, electric bassist Rich Brown and alto saxophonist Luis Deniz. In all these settings, as J.D. Considine of JazzTimes has written, Cervini “drums like someone who’s an arranger at heart, carefully placing each accent for maximum melodic impact.” He’s been cited by Modern Drummer for his old-school knowledge and feel in the spirit of Art Blakey and Billy Higgins, yet credited by Musicweb International as a maker of music “grounded in the language of hard bop but not confined by it.”
Producer
TPR Records, LTD
TPR Records is a media company dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Canadian music, with a focus on Jazz and improvised music.
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© 2025 Ernesto Cervini