Empyrean Isles

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)
Genre
Length35:20
LabelBlue Note
ProducerAlfred Lion
Herbie Hancock chronology
Inventions & Dimensions
(1963) 		Empyrean Isles
(1964) 		Maiden Voyage
(1965)

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.

Recording and composition

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

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

Original release

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

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

Technical personnel

Charts

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