Empyrean Isles

Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded in 1964 for Blue Note Records.[2][3] It features Hancock with his Miles Davis bandmates, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (here playing cornet).

Empyrean Isles
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1964[1]
RecordedJune 17, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
GenreHard bop, modal jazz, soul jazz
Length35:20
LabelBlue Note
ProducerAlfred Lion
Herbie Hancock chronology
Inventions & Dimensions
(1963)
Empyrean Isles
(1964)
Maiden Voyage
(1965)

Recording and music

The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on June 17, 1964.[4] Freddie Hubbard plays cornet rather than his typical trumpet.[4] The four compositions are Hancock originals written over a two-year period.[5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[7]

Empyrean Isles was released by Blue Note Records.[7] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right."[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."One Finger Snap"7:20
2."Oliloqui Valley"8:28
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Cantaloupe Island"5:32
2."The Egg"14:00
Total length:35:20
Bonus tracks (1999 CD reissue)
No.TitleLength
5."One Finger Snap" (alternate take)7:37
6."Oliloqui Valley" (alternate take)10:47

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Empyrean Isles
Chart (2023) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 67

References

  1. Billboard Dec 5, 1964
  2. DiMartino, Dave (2016). Music in the 20th Century (3 Vol Set). Routledge. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-317-46430-3. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. Salzman, Jack; Smith, David L.; West, Cornel (1996). Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Macmillan Library Reference. p. 1185. ISBN 978-0-02-897365-4. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  4. Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 98796.
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Empyrean Isles - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 93. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  7. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
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