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Rating: I was looking to expand my discography related to Herbie Hancock's work, whom I was about to see in Rome. I owned the fundamental cornerstones of this artist's extensive career, albums like "Head Hunters," "Thrust," "Fat Albert Rotunda," and I had listened to almost all of his work in one way or another.
In search of such a vinyl, I stumbled upon the purchase of this "Empyrean Isles" from 1964 with Ron Hubbard on trumpet, or rather cornet, whom I already knew because I own his masterpiece "Open Sesame," Ron Carter on bass also from Hubbard's roster, and the excellent Tony Williams on drums and percussion, with whom I am quite familiar as he has been a prolific collaborator of my idol McLaughlin.
The vinyl arrives at my home, I lower the needle, and immediately "One Finger Snap" takes me back some time when I was very, very dedicated to listening to Hard Bop. Listening to the track, I cannot help but notice an incredibly fit Hubbard with his virtuosic evolutions, followed by a superb Williams who, in my opinion, here truly "hits it" with a series of well-placed blows on his instrument's skins, and then... here it comes: The Magic. Yes, the magic that only, or almost only, a Hancock on piano knows how to create. A true auditory orgasm, ladies and gentlemen.
The album continues with the excellent "Oliloqui Valley," in which Carter's bass solo cannot go unmentioned, followed by the lethal piano riff that dominates the title track: 5:32 minutes of pure jazz pleasure where Herbie's striking piano insights intersect perfectly with a fearsome rhythm section.
Thus, we arrive at the finale "The Egg," which begins with killer notes given to us by master Hancock before letting Hubbard, above all expectations (already always high for artists of this caliber), enter the grooves and the setup. A brilliant Carter on bowed double bass and a percussion style I'd dare to call psychedelic truly create an indescribable atmosphere, where purely jazz passages alternate with an undeniably avant-garde style without ever succumbing to boredom or anything else: quite the opposite!
In short, if you're looking for a Great jazz album or simply want to hear some really good music, this record cannot be missed.
Tracklist
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