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).

This article is about the 1964 Herbie Hancock album. For the location in Ancient Greek cosmology, see Empyrean.
Empyrean Isles
Studio album by
Herbie Hancock
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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