Canadian Songbook

Canadian Songbook
Podcast Description
Canadian Songbook is a documentary-style podcast hosted by Juno-winning drummer and composer Ernesto Cervini, celebrating the diverse voices that define Canada's musical landscape. From opera stars and jazz artists to music educators and community leaders, each episode explores how music has shaped the life of one guest at a time, across generations and geographies.
Told through candid conversations and warm storytelling, these are the journeys of real people—musicians who honed their voice and found connection in childhood choirs, high school bands, smoky jazz clubs, and summer music camps. You’ll hear how one person's family, heritage, and community helped forge their path to international stages—and how collaboration, creativity, and mentorship continue to shape their uniquely Canadian sound.
Whether you are drawn to stories of growth and transformation, curious about creative culture, or simply interested in the lives behind Canada's creative scene, Canadian Songbook offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of what it means to grow through music in Canada.
🎵 This podcast is a growing archive of voices and visions, rooted in rhythm, memory, and home.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on a variety of themes such as personal growth through music, the influence of community and heritage, and the evolution of artistic expression. Episodes include stories of musicians like Jim Creeggan, detailing his journey from informal jam sessions to arena performances, and Mike Murley, exploring the transformative power of jazz in different cultural settings.

Canadian Songbook is a documentary-style podcast hosted by Juno-winning drummer and composer Ernesto Cervini, celebrating the diverse voices that define Canada’s musical landscape. From opera stars and jazz artists to music educators and community leaders, each episode explores how music has shaped the life of one guest at a time, across generations and geographies.
Told through candid conversations and warm storytelling, these are the journeys of real people—musicians who honed their voice and found connection in childhood choirs, high school bands, smoky jazz clubs, and summer music camps. You’ll hear how one person’s family, heritage, and community helped forge their path to international stages—and how collaboration, creativity, and mentorship continue to shape their uniquely Canadian sound.
Whether you are drawn to stories of growth and transformation, curious about creative culture, or simply interested in the lives behind Canada’s creative scene, Canadian Songbook offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of what it means to grow through music in Canada.
🎵 This podcast is a growing archive of voices and visions, rooted in rhythm, memory, and home.
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.

Disclaimer
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