Herbie Hancock • Empyrean Isles

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
My Point of View and Inventions and Dimensions found Herbie Hancock exploring the fringes of hard bop, working with a big band and a Latin-flavored percussion section, respectively. On Empyrean Isles, he returns to hard bop, but the results are anything but conventional. Working with cornetist Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams -- a trio just as young and adventurous as he was -- Hancock pushes at the borders of hard bop, finding a brilliantly evocative balance between traditional bop, soul-injected grooves, and experimental, post-modal jazz. Hancock's four original concepts are loosely based on the myths of the Empyrean Isles, and they are designed to push the limits of the band and of hard bop. Even "Cantaloupe Island," well-known for its funky piano riff, takes chances and doesn't just ride the groove. "The Egg," with its minimal melody and extended solo improvisations, is the riskiest number on the record, but it works because each musician spins inventive, challenging solos that defy convention. In comparison, "One Finger Snap" and "Oliloqui Valley" adhere to hard bop conventions, but each song finds the quartet vigorously searching for new sonic territory with convincing fire. That passion informs all of Empyrean Isles, a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right.

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Reseña de Stephen Thomas Erlewine
My Point of View e Inventions and Dimensions encontraron a Herbie Hancock explorando los márgenes del hard bop, trabajando con una big band y una sección de percusión con sabor latino, respectivamente. En Empyrean Isles, vuelve al hard bop, pero los resultados son todo menos convencionales. Trabajando con el cornetista Freddie Hubbard, el bajista Ron Carter y el baterista Tony Williams -un trío tan joven y aventurero como él- Hancock empuja las fronteras del hard bop, encontrando un equilibrio brillantemente evocador entre el bop tradicional, los grooves inyectados de alma y el jazz experimental y post-modal. Los cuatro conceptos originales de Hancock se basan libremente en los mitos de las Islas Empíricas, y están diseñados para superar los límites de la banda y del hard bop. Incluso "Cantaloupe Island", conocida por su funky riff de piano, se arriesga y no se limita a seguir el ritmo. "The Egg", con su melodía mínima y sus extensas improvisaciones en solitario, es el número más arriesgado del disco, pero funciona porque cada músico hace solos inventivos y desafiantes que desafían las convenciones. En comparación, "One Finger Snap" y "Oliloqui Valley" se adhieren a las convenciones del hard bop, pero en cada canción el cuarteto busca vigorosamente nuevos territorios sonoros con un fuego convincente. Esa pasión es la base de Empyrean Isles, un disco que ha consolidado oficialmente a Hancock como un artista importante por derecho propio.

 

www.herbiehancock.com ...

Tracklist:
A1 - One Finger Snap -
A2 - Oliloqui Valley -
B1 - Cantaloupe Island -
B2 - The Egg -


Credits:
    Bass – Ron Carter
    Cornet – Freddie Hubbard
    Design [Cover] – Reid Miles
    Drums – Anthony Williams
    Liner Notes – Nora Kelly
    Photography By [Cover] – Francis Wolff
    Piano – Herbie Hancock
    Producer – Alfred Lion
    Written-By – Herbie Hancock

Notes:
Recorded on June 17, 1964.
Recorded At – Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Recorded By [Recording By] – Rudy Van Gelder

Label: Blue Note ‎– BLP 4175
Released: Nov 1964
Genre: Jazz
Style: Modal
https://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-Empyrean-Isles/release/1102285

 

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