  |
|
|
| 1. | One Finger Snap
|
| 2. | Oliloqui Valley
|
| 3. | Cantaloupe Island
|
| 4. | The Egg
|
| 5. | One Finger Snap [*]
Alternate Take
|
| 6. | Oliloqui Valley [*]
Alternate Take
|
| 7. |
|
Jazz
The Rudy Van Gelder Edition
Recorded: June 17, 1964, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Digitally remastered: 1998 by Rudy Van Gelder
Herbie Hancock (piano)
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet)
Ron Carter (bass instrument)
Tony Williams (drums)
Herbie Hancock's tenure with Miles Davis had a profound influence on EMPYREAN ISLES. Hancock made even more expressive motions of the freer forms and modal progressions explored by Davis' band. This is no surprise, as Hancock was one of the chief navigators of the Davis group's astounding explorations. On ISLES, Hancock employs Davis bandmates Tony Williams and Ron Carter, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, for a revolutionary recording as significant as Hancock's better-known MAIDEN VOYAGE.
The burning opener "One Finger Snap," presented here in two takes, is a very open-sounding piece. Liquid chords seem to float underneath Hubbard's soaring lines as Williams attacks his drums with brute force. In contrast, the mysterious "Oliloqui Valley," again in two takes, begins with shifting dynamics and moods, opening into a gliding solo section that features Hancock's expert keyboard work. The funky "Cantaloupe Island," which has been widely sampled, and the exploratory "The Egg" are both excellent examples of Hancock's genre-bending genius.
* Alfred Lion - Producer
* Bob Blumenthal - Liner Notes
* Eric Bernhardi - Design
* Francis Wolff - Cover Photo, Photography
* Gordon Jee - Creative Director
* Micaela Boland - Design
* Michael Cuscuna - Producer, Reissue Producer
* Reid Miles - Cover Design
* Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer, Recorder, Remastering
My Point of View and Inventions and Dimensions found Herbie Hancock exploring the fringes of hard bop, working with a big band and a Latin-flavored percussion section, respectively. On Empyrean Isles, he returns to hard bop, but the results are anything but conventional. Working with cornetist Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams -- a trio just as young and adventurous as he was -- Hancock pushes at the borders of hard bop, finding a brilliantly evocative balance between traditional bop, soul-injected grooves, and experimental, post-modal jazz. Hancock's four original concepts are loosely based on the myths of the Empyrean Isles, and they are designed to push the limits of the band and of hard bop. Even "Cantaloupe Island," well-known for its funky piano riff, takes chances and doesn't just ride the groove. "The Egg," with its minimal melody and extended solo improvisations, is the riskiest number on the record, but it works because each musician spins inventive, challenging solos that defy convention. In comparison, "One Finger Snap" and "Oliloqui Valley" (alternate takes of both tracks are included as bonuses on the CD reissue) adhere to hard bop conventions, but each song finds the quartet vigorously searching for new sonic territory with convincing fire. That passion informs all of Empyrean Isles, a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right.
--- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
[*] Not part of the original album |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
