Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on Blue Note Records in November 1964.[2][3] The album features Hancock alongside trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

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

Recording and composition

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Empyrean Isles was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on June 17, 1964.[4] Freddie Hubbard played cornet rather than his typical trumpet on the session.[4] The four compositions on the album, including the future standard "Cantaloupe Island", are Hancock originals written over a two-year period.[5]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Jazz Journal     [6]
Jazzwise     [7]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide     [8]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [9]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded Empyrean Isles four out of four stars.[9]

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album five out of five stars, calling it "a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right."[5]

Track listing

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Original release

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All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock

Side 1
No.TitleLength
1."One Finger Snap"7:20
2."Oliloqui Valley"8:28
Side 2
No.TitleLength
1."Cantaloupe Island"5:32
2."The Egg"14:00
Total length:35:20

1999 CD reissue

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All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock

No.TitleLength
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

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Technical personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Empyrean Isles
Chart (2023) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 67

References

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  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. ^ a b Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 98796.
  5. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Empyrean Isles - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. ^ Jones, Dave (20 June 2019). "Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  7. ^ Nicholson, Stuart. "Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles". Jazzwise. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  8. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 93. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  9. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2023.