The young British group Empirical have attracted a compelling amount of critical praise since they first burst onto the UK scene a couple of years ago. Their eponymous début CD released in 2007 took the argot of hard bop and re-imagined it in an epic style through the ambitious, colourful and imaginative writing of the group’s members.

Since those days Empirical have undergone a number of personnel changes. Only saxophonist Nathaniel Facey and drummer Shaney Forbes remain from the band’s first album. Bassist Neil Charles was first to leave in order to concentrate on his work with the trio Zed-U. He was replaced by Tom Farmer who has quickly established himself as an important figure in the Empirical fold as both player and writer. Rising keyboard star Kit Downes was next to leave as he was just too busy with other projects including his own trio plus the bands Troyka and The Golden Age Of Steam. More recently trumpeter Jay Phelps has also moved on leaving a radically different Empirical. On this album Facey, Forbes and Farmer are joined by vibes wunderkind Lewis Wright with pianist George Fogel only coming on board after the recording and thus restoring the band to a five piece.

“Out’n’ In” sounds very different to it’s predecessor. It is inspired by the music of the late,great Eric Dolphy particularly his 1964 classic album “Out To Lunch”. Empirical reprise two of Dolphy’s tunes from that album (“Hat And Beard” and Gazzelloni”) in addition to penning several original items in a similar style. Dolphy’s record is an acknowledged masterpiece but can be something of a challenge to the listener. Empirical make his ideas more accessible but at no point is there any sense of their “dumbing down” their source material. “Out ‘n’ In” is an excellent record in it’s own right.

The seeds for this project were sown in November 2008 on the occasion of what would have been Dolphy’s 80th birthday. Empirical were invited to pay tribute to Dolphy as part of the London Jazz Festival and decided to perform the material on “Out To Lunch”. Vibraphonist Wright augmented the group filling the role played by Bobby Hutcherson on Dolphy’s album. Wright subsequently joined Empirical on a full time basis and the idea of an album based on Dolphy’s legacy was born. Recorded in early 2009 “Out’n’ In” was produced by Jason Yarde and features guest appearances from Partisans’ Julian Siegel on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. Dolphy was one of the first jazz musicians to establish the bass clarinet as a solo instrument.

The Empirical album commences with Farmer’s “Out But In”, a piece inspired by Dolphy’s composition “Mrs Parker of KC”. The liner notes state that the idea was to “capture the idea of ensemble freedom and expression within a blues form”. Facey’s mercurial alto states the blues/bop theme and there is an impressive solo from Wright supported only by bass and drums as the saxophone drops out. Farmer plays a few bars unaccompanied before a brief re-statement of the theme. It’s a good blending of structure and freedom, precisely the kind of thing Dolphy was aiming for back in 1964.

“Hat And Beard” is a masterful re-working of the Dolphy original with Siegel’s bass clarinet featuring prominently in the arrangement. Intended by Dolphy as a tribute to Thelonious Monk this too has it’s “out” moments within a given structure and with all the instruments engaged in an ongoing dialogue. This version stands up very well alongside the original. 

“A Conversation” is a brief but dazzling improvised dialogue between the saxophones of Facey and Siegel. This is followed by Facey’s “So he Left”, a piece inspired by Dolphy’s five year stint as a member of Charles Mingus’ band. The style is more Mingus than Dolphy , simultaneously dark and playful and with shifting rhythms. Farmer ‘s bass is prominent here alongside Forbes’ colourful drums and percussion as Facey undertakes the Dolphy role with aplomb.

Dolphy died in 1964 only months after “Out To Lunch ” was recorded. He was touring in Europe and sank into a diabetic coma. The hospital refused to treat him believing his condition to be caused by a drug overdose. Dolphy was not a drug user (unlike many of his contemporaries, it has to be said) and this was a tragedy that could easily have been avoided. He was only thirty six.

Facey’s “A Bitter End For a Tender Giant” is a suitably sombre tribute to Dolphy, “a prayer of thanks and respect” as the album notes put it. Dark hued bass clarinet ,shimmering vibes and aching alto combine to pay homage to the great man. 

Also by Facey the ten minute “Dolphyus Morphyus” was given it’s title by producer Yarde.  The piece is a shifting magnum opus that passes through many moods and changes in an attempt to demonstrate Dolphy’s “story telling”  abilities. The piece is through composed and explores elements of Dolphy’s theory of Harmonic Symmetry. It’s certainly an epic with the leader’s baton being passed around between alto, bass clarinet and vibes and with flexible, empathic support from a superlative rhythm team.

“Interlude” is a brief passage for solo bass and is followed by “Gazzelloni”, the second Dolphy piece from “Out To Lunch”. Brilliant vibist Wright is prominent here. I was lucky enough to see this brilliant young man play with Clark Tracey’s group at the 2009 Brecon Jazz Festival and was hugely impressed. “Gazzelloni” is one of the most accessible tracks on “Out To Lunch” and Empirical’s bravura reading more than does it justice. Facey’s alto cries and soars and Farmer and Forbes are both hugely impressive, the drummer featuring in a number of scintillating breaks in the latter part of the piece. 

Farmer’s “Syndicalism”  emphasises the “conversational” aspect of Dolphy’s music. There’s no conventional “jazz"soloing here but the piece twists and turns in the manner of lively and animated conversation.

Facey and Siegel re-unite for “Another Conversation”, this time with Siegel on bass clarinet before Farmer’s “Bowden Out” closes the set. Dark and broodingly lyrical this has a more contemporary feel and is an exploration of Dolphy’s influence on modern day musicians.

The music and legacy of Eric Dolphy is a pretty weighty subject to tackle but Empirical rise to the challenge superbly. They throw fresh light on Dolphy and his music and the standard of the playing is second to none. With two very different albums under their collective belt it will be interesting to see what Empirical do next.

They have already paid tribute to Cannonball Adderley at the 2009 Brecon Jazz Festival, this project going under the name “Walk Tall” and with the band augmented by trumpeter Freddie Gavita. There is clearly much more to come from these talented young musicians.

blog comments powered by Disqus