Out 'n' In Empirical feat. Benyounes String Quartet
Album info
Album-Release:
2009
HRA-Release:
14.10.2011
Album including Album cover Booklet (PDF)
- 1Out But In05:18
- 2Hat & Beard08:15
- 3A Conversation01:49
- 4So He Left05:32
- 5A Bitter End To A Tender Giant06:49
- 6Dolphyus Morphyus10:43
- 7Interlude00:43
- 8Gazzelloni05:46
- 9Syndicalism06:35
- 10Another Conversation01:17
- 11Bowden Out06:03
Info for Out 'n' In
The English band Empirical's new album, Out 'n' In, is dedicated to the late jazz artist Eric Dolphy, a patron saint of the 1960s avant-garde. Like his colleagues Charles Mingus and John Coltrane, Dolphy could blur the lines between traditional and exploratory jazz. In hipster parlance, he played both 'inside' and 'outside.'
On its album, Empirical captures the spirit of Dolphy's 1964 masterwork album Out to Lunch! That album has the same quirky rhythm lineup this quartet has: bass and drums, plus vibraphone instead of piano.
When they emerged in 2007, Empirical made bigger waves and more column inches than any UK jazz ensemble since Courtney Pine's early bands. Their debut album swept across contemporary styles, including funk, gospel and R&B, although the motor that ran it was fuelled by classic bebop, particularly its ecstatic Art Blakey derivatives. In this session with guest tenor-saxist Julian Siegel, the American jazz tradition still energises Empirical, in a revised lineup in which the excellent Nathaniel Facey's alto sax remains dominant but is now in a more laid-back dialogue with Lewis Wright's vibraphone. Facey's fascination with the short-lived and often overlooked sax and bass-clarinet visionary Eric Dolphy shapes the set. Dolphy's edgy sound and bristling melodic lines feature on a series of ducking and diving tunes, on his own Hat & Beard and on Gazzelloni. Out'n'In might seem more of a purist venture than its predecessor, but it is full of sparky variety – from the boppish and then free-contrapuntal title track, through Facey's and Siegel's intertwining dialogues, the Third Stream-like precision of So He Left, and the freebop and time-switching of Dolphyus Morphyus. (John Fordham, The Guardian)
'One of the finest albums I have had the privilege of reviewing' (Jazz Review)
'graceful...dramatic and subtle...a daring maturity that can only bode well for the future' (Jazzwise)
Nathaniel Facey, Alto Sax
Shane Forbes, Drums & Percussion
Tom Farmer, Double Bass
Lewis Wright, Vibes
Guest:
Julian Seigel, Bass Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone
Produced by Jason Yarde
Recorded @ Phoenix Sound by Dave Moore
Mixed by Dave Moore, Jason Yarde and Empirical
Mastered by Ray Staff
Artwork by Dan Strange
Awards:
MOBO Best Jazz Act 2010
Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2008 - BEST ENSEMBLE
EBU/European Jazz Competition - WINNER 2007
Peter Whittingham Award - WINNER December 2007
Jazzwise - ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007
Mojo - JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007
Empirical is a band involving 4 young, British Jazz musicians, that aims to expand on the traditions of Jazz. They perform new compositions and improvisations that express ideas beyond music in an uniquely equally approach. Each member is given equal responsibility for the direction of the music in composition and in the moment of improvisation.
The aim is to present a path for the audience into music by commenting on well known ideas in the world today, taking influence from Film and TV, proverbs and sayings even footballers! We express what we think and feel on these ideas through the collaborative trial and error process of Jazz improvisation.
Empirical has been presenting projects, performances and recordings since 2007. The eponymous debut 'Empirical' and the 2009 release 'Out 'n' In' have been extensively toured throughout the jazz circuit in the UK and abroad.
The band has received many awards and accolades from winning the 2008 EBU jazz Competition, Jazzwise album of the year 2008, to winning the 2010 MOBO award for Best Jazz Act.
We have run a project entitled 'Walk Tall:A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley' alongside our current endeavour 'Empirical:Ethos'. The tribute includes many special guests and some advanced mixed media presentations. More info on the projects page of www.empiricalmusic.com
Empirical has toured previous projects extensively throughout the UK appearing at the London Jazz Festival, Bath International Festival, Glasgow International Jazz Festival and Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
We have performed in Europe at Jazz Sous les Pommiers, Molde Jazz Festival and Jazz a Liege. The band has presented projects in venues in Scandanvia such as Fasching Stockholm and Nefertiti Oslo.
In 2008 Empirical toured in North America, playing New York JVC Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, the IAJC in Toronto and a rare British performance at Newport Jazz Festival Rhode Island.