Since Empirical’s inception in 2007 and their last full-length record Connection (Cuneiform, 2016) this intriguing group has consistently been making waves. Their sixth album Wonder Is The Beginning takes on board two guests, pianist Jason Rebello and saxophonist Alex Hitchcock, augmenting the established quartet of altoist Nathaniel Facey, vibist Lewis Wright, double bassist Tom Farmer and drummer Shaney Forbes.
Additionally, Farmer has penned all the impressive numbers on the album. Founder members Facey and Forbes were responsible for the band’s eponymously titled debut record (Destin-E Records, 2007) which sported an impressive array of guests including Courtney Pine, Dennis Rollins and Kit Downes. Within two years they were joined by Wright and Farmer for the follow-up Out ’n’ In (Naim, 2009).
A soundscapey intro to the opener The Naitoku gives way to a more formally constructed tune underpinned by Shaney Forbes’ staccato drums and the twin saxophones of Facey and Hitchcock. True Cost plays out with a dreamy repeated motif shared by both saxophonists whilst Ursa, The Minor Major Bear hears Facey’s alto trace an almost unceasingly buoyant path. Rebello takes the lead in the introduction to Saha World with Wright’s vibes appending a delicate counter melody. Rebello’s piano on As The Eagle evokes a lustrous Bill Evans mood as he painstakingly explores the margins of the piece. As it picks up pace, the closer, Wonder Is The Feeling, epitomises the group’s unique selling point in the way that Facey uses his alto to seamlessly weave patterns that remain in the listener’s mind like vapour trails from a jet plane.
There’s a distinct third-stream feeling to this album, intermingled with a chamber-jazz approach but the overall effect and throughout the seven numbers is one of hypnotic charm. With their quasi-formal besuited image and refined yet enticing sound Empirical might appear at first glance like a modern-day Modern Jazz Quartet. But far from merely embracing the tradition, they move the music forward to a new paradigm but in a characteristically subtle and sophisticated manner.
Discography
The Naitoku; She Moves; True Cost; Ursa, The Minor Major Bear; Saha World; As The Eagle; Wonder Is The Feeling (43.40)
Nathaniel Facey (as); Alex Hitchcock (ts); Lewis Wright (vib); Jason Rebello (p); Tom Farmer (b); Shaney Forbes (d). London, 21-22 December, 2022.
Whirlwind Recordings WR4820
