Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles (Blue Note Classic Series)

Description

Condition: Brand New Ships from: Melbourne

• Description
• Release details
• Tracklist

• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition on 180-gram LP

  Herbie Hancock debuted on Blue Note in 1962 and quickly established himself as both a remarkable pianist and a brilliant composer with three excellent albums Takin’ Off, My Point Of View, and Inventions & Dimensions before making what is widely considered to be his first masterpiece: Empyrean Isles. Recorded in 1964, the album seemed to distill the full breadth of Hancock’s artistry into a sweeping 35-minute musical journey.

  Joining Hancock on the voyage were three of his closest collaborators: trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and Hancock’s Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums. Each of the four distinctive original pieces Hancock composed for the date occupies its own unique space. The quartet launches into the album opener “One Finger Snap” which consists of a single opening line that leads directly into blistering improvisations by Hubbard and Hancock.

  The first side concludes with the beguiling “Oliloquy Valley” which conjures a mysterious and mystical vibe. The flipside leads off with one of Hancock’s most enduring themes, “Cantaloupe Island,” with its undulating groove and unforgettable melody, before moving into a more exploratory realm with “The Egg,” an expansive 14-minute epic that flirts with the avant-garde and gives ample space for the musicians to let their imaginations run wild.

  This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

  Review

  AllMusic rating: AllMusic users: (747 votes) Read the AllMusic.com review

• Artist: Herbie Hancock Label: Blue Note, UMe Format: LP Units: 1 Country: Worldwide Genre: Jazz Style: Modal, Post Bop

• A1 One Finger Snap
  A2 Oliloqui Valley
  B1 Cantaloupe Island
  B2 The Egg