Empirical

“Connection”

(Cuneiform Records RUNE 416)

A somewhat belated review for this March 2016 release, the fifth by the London based quartet Empirical and their first for the American label Cuneiform Records. Despite being based in the US Cuneiform has always been highly supportive of UK musicians past and present and the label seems to be a good fit for Empirical, a band with an increasingly personalised musical identity.

Although first formed in 2007 Empirical has now had the same core line up since 2009 with founder members Nathaniel Facey (alto sax) and Shaney Forbes (drums) joined by Tom Farmer (double bass) and Lewis Wright (vibraphone). Out ‘n’ In”, this quartet’s first album together saw them exploring the musical legacy of Eric Dolphy’s classic “Out To Lunch” with Wright in the Bobby Hutcherson role and Julian Siegel guesting on bass clarinet.

Empirical’s next two albums “Elements of Truth” (2012) and the double set “Tabula Rasa” (2013) also included substantial contributions from guest performers with pianist George Fogel appearing extensively on “Elements” while the group’s sound was expanded by the addition of the Benyounes String Quartet on “Tabula”, the group’s most ambitious project to date.

On “Connection” there’s a sense of the band going back to basics. This is the first album by the current line up to feature the core quartet alone with no guest performers whatsoever. As such it’s a strong expression of group unity and identity, something emphasised by the cover image of the members’ conjoined hands.
Farmer sums up the group’s intentions thus;
“This time we went into a great sounding studio with just the four of us. ‘Connection’ is an accurate representation of what we’re doing now, what our gigs sound like. This is our expression.”

Despite the pared down line up there’s no lack of ambition in the group’s music with the writing credits being shared around Facey, Farmer and Wright. Dolphy and the 1960s US avant garde remain key influences but there’s also an agreeable contemporary British edge about Empirical’s music that helps to keep it relevant and topical.

The album kicks off with Farmer’s “Initiate The Initiations” which is centred around the rich array of percussive sounds that Forbes conjures from his drum kit on this highly rhythmic opener which also features the acerbic dance of Facey’s alto sax as Wright’s vibes weave their way in and out of the piece.

Also from the pen of Farmer comes the appropriately edgy “Anxiety Society” with Facey’s jagged, Coleman-esque alto and the clatter of Forbes’ drum kit juxtaposed against the lush sound of Wright’s vibes. Facey is granted a greater degree of freedom here, his garrulous solo answered by Wright,  the latter now adapting a sharper edged sound on the vibes.

Facey’s “Stay The Course” is the album’s lengthiest track and his writing exhibits something of the ambition and narrative quality of the band’s earlier records. Divided into three distinct sections the piece features the composer’s alto strongly but in such a tightly knit group the contributions of the other three musicians are also highly impressive. Facey leads the group through the opening theme statement and subsequent extemporisations plus the staccato fitfulness of the spiky middle section. When the group subsequently adopts a more conventional jazz feel Wright takes over with a dazzlingly mercurial vibes solo, ably supported by a busy rhythm section and Facey’s bop inspired sax punctuations.

With its long, keening alto sax melody lines Farmer’s “Driving Force” initially has a more wistful feel to it but the music is soon diverting course into choppier waters with Facey’s increasingly animated sax soloing allied to the ongoing commentary of Forbes’ drums, the latter subsequently drawn into spirited dialogue with Wright’s vibes. 

It’s Wright’s impressionistic “Lethe” that eventually brings about the first real change of mood. Atmospheric and impressionistic it features the ethereal shimmer of Wright’s vibes alongside Facey’s thoughtful alto and the subtle filigree of Forbes’ delicate brush work. Facey’s gently probing alto solo subsequently brings something of the group’s customary rigour to the sound, this is beautiful music that goes beyond mere ‘prettiness’.

Farmer’s “The Maze” builds up from the sounds of simple hand claps, shades of Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music” or even Pat Metheny’s “First Circle” . The sound of clapping is quickly joined by the honk of Facey’s alto and subsequently by vibes, bass and drums as the music quickly acquires a bebop like complexity with Facey’s alto cutting a swathe through the percolating sounds generated by the rest of the group. However, this being Empirical, the music is soon changing direction once more as we enter a more impressionistic, freely structured closing section, initially steered by the composer’s bass but subsequently featuring the sound of Forbes at the kit and the occasional squall from Facey’s alto.

The piece virtually segues into Farmer’s “Card Clash”, its Ornette-ish theme laying the foundations for a mercurial vibes solo from Wright, the young mallet man brilliantly shadowed by Forbes and Farmer. Facey’s occasional use of multiphonics sees him tipping his hat in Coleman’s direction while the intensity of his playing also suggests the influence of John Coltrane.

Facey’s own “The Two Edged-Sword” is the shortest track on the album, a two and a half minute burst of energy with the composer’s barnstorming alto sharing the solos with Wright’s flying mallets as Farmer and Forbes provide powerful but restlessly inventive propulsion.

Wright’s “Mind Over Mayhem” begins as an intensely rhythmic piece driven by the interlocking grooves generated by Farmer and Forbes. But in another composition featuring distinct sections things subsequently take a quieter, more impressionistic turn as Facey and Wright combine effectively accompanied by the patter of Forbes’ hand drumming. Farmer’s subsequent bass feature sees him and Forbes picking up the groove again and restoring the energy levels as the piece moves towards its closing stages.

Also by Wright the closing composition “It’s Out of Your Hands” promises to end the album on an elegiac note with the composers shimmering vibes ostinato initially forming the backbone of the piece as Facey blows long, yearning, melodic sax melody lines. The piece subsequently gains momentum and features some characteristically tightly focussed group interplay with Facey’s alto soaring above Wright’s dense chordal backdrop and the busy sounds of bass and drums before the music gradually fades away to an almost subliminal conclusion.

“Connection” represents an another impressive statement from Empirical. This closely knit group produce music of often dazzling complexity but still manage to retain an impressive level of human warmth, a quality that doubtless stems from their long association as a (fairly) regular working band. Although still obviously in thrall to the sounds of the New York jazz scene of the 1960s (an era before any of them were actually born) they still bring an enjoyable contemporary energy to their music and one can’t fail to be impressed both by the consistently high standard of the musicianship and by the richness and variety of the writing within a relatively restrictive instrumental format. This album offers evidence that even without the presence of guest performers the members of Empirical, both individually and collectively, still have plenty to say on their own account.

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