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Empyrean Isles

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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
ReleasedLate November/early December 1964[1]
RecordedJune 17, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
GenreHard bop, modal jazz, soul jazz
Length35:20
LabelBlue Note
ProducerAlfred Lion
Herbie Hancock chronology
Inventions and Dimensions
(1963) 		Empyrean Isles
(1964) 		Maiden Voyage
(1965)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[4]

Empyrean Isles is the fourth album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded on June 17, 1964 for Blue Note Records. It features the debut of two of his most popular compositions, "One Finger Snap" and "Cantaloupe Island".

Recording and music

The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on June 17, 1964.[5] Pianist Hancock's quartet consisted of Freddie Hubbard on cornet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums.[5] The four compositions were written by Hancock.[2] "One Finger Snap" features a short melody played in unison (which is only used as an intro, an ending and to tie between solos), followed by a chord progression without a written melody, going straight to improvisation. The real book has the first chorus of Freddie Hubbard's solo written as if it were the head.

Release and reception

Empyrean Isles was released by Blue Note Records.[4] The AllMusic reviewer called it "a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right."[2]

Track listing

All compositions 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
Bonus tracks on 1999 CD release
No.TitleLength
5."One Finger Snap" (alternate take)7:37
6."Oliloqui Valley" (alternate take)10:47

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Billboard Dec 5, 1964
  2. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Empyrean Isles - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  3. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 93. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  4. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  5. ^ a b Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 98796.
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