| Empyrean Isles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1964 [1] | |||
| Recorded | June 17, 1964 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:20 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Herbie Hancock chronology | ||||
| ||||
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 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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| 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 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]
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 |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] | 67 |
Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
Seven Steps to Heaven is the eighth studio album on Columbia Records by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1963, catalogue CL 2051 and CS 8851 in stereo. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studios in Manhattan, and at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles, in sessions recorded in April of 1963, and May of 1963. It presents the Miles Davis Quintet in transition, with the New York session introducing the rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams, who would become Davis' regular sidemen for the next five years. Upon release, the album was Davis' most successful on the Billboard pop LPs chart up to that point, peaking at number 62.
Miles in the Sky is a studio album by American trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, released on July 22, 1968, by Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray into jazz fusion, with Herbie Hancock playing electric piano and Ron Carter playing electric bass guitar on opening track “Stuff”. Additionally, electric guitarist George Benson features on “Paraphernalia”.
Speak No Evil is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones. The cover photo is of Shorter's first wife, Teruko (Irene) Nakagami, whom he met in 1961.
"Cantaloupe Island" is a jazz standard composed by Herbie Hancock and recorded for his 1964 album Empyrean Isles during his early years as one of the members of Miles Davis' 1960s quintet. Hancock later recorded a jazz-funk fusion version of the track, as Cantelope Island, on his 1976 album Secrets.
The Quintet is an album by V.S.O.P. It was compiled from two concert performances: one at the Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley, on July 16, 1977; the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre on July 18, 1977. The quintet were keyboardist Herbie Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The album was originally released in October 1977 as a 2-disc LP by Columbia Records.
Quartet is the thirty-fourth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring a quartet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. It was originally issued in Japan on CBS/Sony, and later given a US release by Columbia.
Takin' Off is the debut album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released in 1962 by Blue Note Records. The album features veteran tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Billy Higgins. The album is a creative example of music in the hard bop idiom. The bluesy track "Watermelon Man" made it to the Top 100 of the singles charts, and went on to become a jazz standard. Hancock released a funk arrangement of “Watermelon Man” on his 1973 album Head Hunters. Takin' Off was initially released on CD in 1996 and then again in remastered form in 2007 by Rudy Van Gelder.
Red Clay is an album recorded in 1970 by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was his first album on Creed Taylor's CTI label and marked a shift toward the soul-jazz fusion sounds that would dominate his recordings in the later part of the decade. It entered at number 20 on Billboard’s Top 20 Best Selling Jazz LPs, on June 20, 1970.
Hub-Tones is an album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard recorded on October 10, 1962, and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4115 and BST 84115. It contains performances by Hubbard, James Spaulding, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Clifford Jarvis. The cover artwork was designed by Reid Miles with photography by Francis Wolff.
Straight Life is a soul/funk influenced jazz album recorded in 1970 by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was recorded on 16 November 1970 and released between the albums Red Clay (1970) and First Light (1971). This is also Hubbard's eighteenth overall album.
V.S.O.P : Live Under the Sky is a 1979 live album by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, a record of a performance at the 1979 Live Under the Sky Festival as it was performed live in Japan over two days. The first day, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television. The original release featured the first day, while the 2004 re-master/re-release also featured the second concert. This, the fourth VSOP release, once again featured pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
The All Seeing Eye is the ninth jazz album by saxophonist Wayne Shorter, recorded on October 15, 1965, and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4219 and BST 84219 in 1966. The album features performances by Shorter with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Joe Chambers. Shorter's brother, Alan composed and plays fluegelhorn on the final track, “Mephistopheles”. The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "it is clear from the start that the music on this CD reissue is not basic bop and blues... the dramatic selections, and their brand of controlled freedom has plenty of subtle surprises. This is stimulating music that still sounds fresh over three decades later".
V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, jazz fusion/ jazz-funk performances by the ‘Mwandishi’ band and The Headhunters.
Mosaic is a studio album by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers recorded for Blue Note on October 2, 1961 and released the following year. The sextet features horn section Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and Curtis Fuller and rhythm section Cedar Walton, Jymie Merritt and Art Blakey.
Blue Spirits is an album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard released on the Blue Note label. It would be his last studio album for Blue Note, recorded in the 1960s. It features performances by Hubbard, James Spaulding, Joe Henderson, Harold Mabern, Jr., Larry Ridley, Clifford Jarvis, Big Black, Kiane Zawadi, Hank Mobley, McCoy Tyner, Bob Cranshaw, Pete LaRoca. The CD release added tracks from a 1966 session featuring Hosea Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman, and Elvin Jones.
First Light is an album by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Recorded in 1971, it features string arrangements by Don Sebesky. It was his third album released on Creed Taylor's CTI label and features performances by Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Eric Gale, George Benson, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira and Richard Wyands. The album is part of a loose trilogy including his two previous records at the time, Red Clay and Straight Life. First Light won a 1972 Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Performance by a Group".
Blow-Up is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring music composed for Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup. MGM Records released the album in the United States on 20 February 1967, and in the United Kingdom on 10 May. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman, alto saxophonist Phil Woods, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Although Jimmy Smith is credited with playing organ on the album, some sources claim it was actually Paul Griffin who was at the sessions.
The Other Side of Abbey Road is a 1970 studio album by American guitarist George Benson of songs from the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It was his last album for A&M Records. The front cover is a photograph of Benson by Eric Meola in E 53rd Street, Midtown East, New York City.
Contours is the second album by American saxophonist Sam Rivers recorded in 1965 and released on the Blue Note label. The CD reissue contains an alternate take as a bonus track.
