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.
Empyrean Isles | ||||
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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 | ||||
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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]
Six months after recording Empyrean Isles, Herbie, Ron and Tony would record E.S.P. with Miles Davis, the first of six studio albums by Davis's Second Great Quintet.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
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 the album four stars.[9]
AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right."[5]
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 |
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 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
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German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 67 |