Empyrean Isles

Recording history and tape provenance

By mid-1964 Hancock had spent just over a year as pianist in Miles Davis's group alongside Carter and Williams. The three had developed a rhythmic and harmonic language together that was already reshaping how the rhythm section functioned in Davis's recordings.

This was the first time that trio recorded Hancock's own material without Davis or a saxophonist present. The absence of a second horn created a real compositional problem, since only cornet and piano carried the melodic weight.

Hancock's solution was to write heads that work more like compressed improvisations than fully worked-out ensemble melodies. That gave the quartet unusual interpretive freedom.

All four tracks are Hancock originals, loosely conceived around myths of the titular isles. They run from the hard-bop opener "One Finger Snap" through the modal "Oliloqui Valley" and "Cantaloupe Island" to the closing "The Egg."

"The Egg" is built from a repeating ostinato that opens onto extended solo space, including a bowed bass solo from Carter. "Cantaloupe Island" later became a standard, sampled by Us3 for their 1993 hit "Cantaloop."

Hubbard played cornet rather than trumpet for a warmer, more burnished tone. He had already shown an affinity with Hancock on the pianist's 1962 debut Takin' Off and on his own Hub Tones.

The alternate takes

Later CD reissues added alternate takes of "One Finger Snap" and "Oliloqui Valley." Bob Belden, in his notes for The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions, argues the alternate "One Finger Snap" solo is better than the issued master. Other critics agree.

Those takes are usually assumed to have first appeared on the 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition CD. They were already on vinyl eight years earlier, on a 1991 Jazz Heritage LP, catalogue 912944X.

That pressing is not an audiophile cut and is rarely discussed. It is the only vinyl source for the alternate takes.

Original Blue Note pressings (1964)

The mono and stereo originals sit in different label eras despite sharing a release date. Blue Note's transition to Liberty ownership happened while this title was being manufactured.

BLP 4175 in mono carries blue and white "New York, USA" labels. BST 84175 in stereo carries "A Division of Liberty Records, Inc." labels.

Which mono variant is the true first pressing is disputed. Fred Cohen's Blue Note collector's guide holds that a non-deep-groove copy is the first pressing, against the assumption that deep-groove copies came earliest.

The Van Gelder stamp is worth checking on both sides. Some stereo copies show it on side 2 only, a documented but lesser variant.

Music Matters 33⅓

The Music Matters edition, catalogue MMBST-84175, is a 180g LP in a gatefold with session photos, limited to 3,500 copies. Kevin Gray remastered it at Cohearent Audio from the original Van Gelder master tapes, pressed at RTI.

Owner reviews are consistent, citing clarity, air, ambience, drum and cymbal detail, and dead-quiet vinyl. It is out of print.

Blue Note Classic Vinyl (2023)

The Classic Vinyl edition, catalogue 4859562, was mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original tapes and pressed at Optimal.

One detailed review on its Discogs page calls it among the best-sounding entries in the whole Classic Vinyl series. That owner singles out how free of background noise it is, which made Carter's bass solo on "Oliloqui Valley" audible as never before.

One reviewer reports a copy arriving with minor cosmetic surface scuffs. That is an isolated report rather than evidence of a systemic problem.

Later US pressings

A dark blue Liberty and United Artists-era reissue retains the Van Gelder stamp on both sides, since it shares metalwork with the original pressing. A dealer inventory video shows a near-mint example of this variant.

An RVG stamp on a later reissue is a legitimate route to original-pressing sound without first-press pricing. No single catalogue number is confirmed, so identification means the dark blue label design plus checking the dead wax.

Blue Note 75th Anniversary (2015)

The 75th Anniversary edition, catalogue B0022238-01, has lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman and Chris Bellman. At least one variant shows side B cut at Masterdisk instead.

Reception splits at the pressing level rather than the mastering. Some owners report clean, quiet copies. A substantial number report warping, non-fill and off-centre spindle holes. Those cluster on copies pressed at United Record Pressing, a plant blamed across the whole 75th Anniversary line for inconsistent quality control.

A seller with an easy return policy matters for this one.

Pressings to avoid

A clear-vinyl edition limited to 500 copies circulates. Reviewers on its Discogs page identify it as unofficial and unlicensed rather than a Blue Note product. One buyer notes learning this only after purchase.

Sound reports on it range from mixed to acceptable. It is a budget curiosity rather than a collector target.

Buyer's guide by budget

$: The Blue Note Classic Vinyl edition, or a 75th Anniversary copy bought with a return policy.

$$: A dark blue label Liberty-era reissue with the Van Gelder stamp confirmed in the dead wax.

$$$$: The Music Matters 33⅓ edition on the secondary market.

$$$$$: An original BST 84175 stereo on Liberty labels, with the stamp confirmed.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/47777-Herbie-Hancock-Empyrean-Isles
• JazzLoveJapan, "Herbie Hancock The Empyrean Isles Blue Note RVG US Vinyl LP": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yikSYWWQ-EY
• Surcos de Jazz, "Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (Blue Note Classic 2023)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4H_1T3PGnI
• Ten-Minute Record Reviews, "Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (Episode 153)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUoFbRQHHGA
• Progrography, "Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (1964) Review": https://progrography.com/herbie-hancock/herbie-hancock-empyrean-isles-1964/

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