| Empyrean Isles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1964[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 17, 1964 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Hard bop, modal jazz, soul jazz | |||
| Length | 35:20 | |||
| Label | Blue Note BLP 4175 | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Herbie Hancock chronology | ||||
| ||||
Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded on June 17, 1964 and released on Blue Note in November later that year.[2][3] The quartet features trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and rhythm section Ron Carter and Tony Williams.
Background
Recording and composition
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]
The Miles Davis Quintet
Six months after recorded Empyrean Isles, the quartet would record E.S.P. with Miles Davis, the first of six studio albums by Davis's Second Great Quintet.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [7] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album four stars.[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
Original release
All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Finger Snap" | 7:20 |
| 2. | "Oliloqui Valley" | 8:28 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cantaloupe Island" | 5:32 |
| 2. | "The Egg" | 14:00 |
| Total length: | 35:20 | |
1999 CD reissue
All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Finger Snap" | 7:20 |
| 2. | "Oliloqui Valley" | 8:28 |
| 3. | "Cantaloupe Island" | 5:32 |
| 4. | "The Egg" | 14:00 |
| 5. | "One Finger Snap" (alternate take) | 7:37 |
| 6. | "Oliloqui Valley" (alternate take) | 10:47 |
Personnel
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- Freddie Hubbard – cornet
- Ron Carter – bass
- Tony Williams – drums
Technical personnel
- Alfred Lion – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
- Reid Miles – design
- Francis Wolff – photography
- Nora Kelly – liner notes
Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 67 |
References
- ↑ Billboard Dec 5, 1964
- ↑ DiMartino, Dave (2016). Music in the 20th Century (3 Vol Set). Routledge. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-317-46430-3. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 98796.
- 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Empyrean Isles - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 93. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2023.