Wonder Is The Beginning (Whirlwind Recordings)
Empirical
Released March 15, 2024
AllMusic Favorite Jazz Albums 2024
Jazzwise 20 Best New Jazz Albums of 2024
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nOyDHppEOcHbZGJj6P7umUEQePegbY–I
Spotify:
About:
Real groups like Empirical are a rarity in contemporary jazz, where musicians so often come together for single projects then disperse again once they are done: groups that endure for fifteen years, without slackening in their quest for the new and the fresh, are all but unheard of.
Having started their journey in 2007, Empirical now makes a triumphant return, re-taking their rightful place at the center of the UK scene with Wonder Is The Beginning, their first full-length album since 2016. Wonder Is The Beginning is a mature musical statement that shows the band’s fire is still undimmed and their commitment to maintaining the legacy while forging their own unique path is as strong as ever.
The personnel of the quartet, for whom sharp tailoring has become something of a trademark, has remained the same for fifteen years. Nathaniel Facey (alto sax), Tom Farmer (double bass), Lewis Wright (vibraphone) and Shaney Forbes (drums) confound listeners with a telepathic empathy that can only be attained after countless performances together.
On Wonder is the Beginning their palette is expanded by the presence of two remarkable guests. Alex Hitchcock contributes his voice on tenor sax to represent the rising generation of virtuoso players, while Jason Rebello adds his unmistakable presence on piano as well as the towering reputation he’s built over a thirty-five year international career.
The band entered the studio equipped with a set of specially written compositions, but also with their abiding philosophy – to always be open to the possibility of change. “It’s the core Empirical message,” says Tom Farmer “To be right in the moment, to make bold decisions and really communicate… to always be ready for the unexpected.”
The combination of complex, thoughtful writing and spontaneous improvisation is enabled by the absolute trust that comes from years of collective music making and is at the heart of what makes Empirical stand out consistently on the musical landscape. Both guests fit right into this ethos: “Some of the music was written specially for Jason and Alex to play, but they both embraced that commitment to change and freedom.”
Opening track ‘The Naitoku’ takes its name from Buddhist practice, referring to a newcomer to the path, and also to those who support them in their journey. Alex Hitchcock shines over brooding textures and martial snare, until the piece develops into a thrilling three-way conversation with Facey and Rebello. By contrast, ‘She Moves’ seduces with a pastoral waltzing lilt and an open airy feel, expressing a reflection on the constant flux of life, building to a shimmering climax. ‘True Cost’ opens with plaintive, keening alto sax over plangent chords, developing into a powerful group improvisation, stately and measured but full of subtle tension.
There’s an exercise in the kind of rhythmic virtuosity for which Empirical are renowned in ‘Ursa The Minor Major Bear,’ with the harmonic shift and contrapuntal moving parts expressing the feeling of being caught unawares by a sense of wonder that reveals itself to those mindful enough to notice.
A spontaneous studio decision rendered ‘Saha World’ as a duet between vibes and piano, with Wright and Rebello weaving skeins of sound together into a shimmering contemplation of the patience and endurance our earthly existence demands. The somber, edgy ‘As The Eagle’ sees Rebello deliver a masterclass in creative interpretation. The final track ‘Wonder Is the Feeling’ quotes Plato in an evocative tribute to the sense of awe that lies behind the beginning of wisdom. A midtempo loping swing anchored by Farmer’s swaying bass figure, it develops over towering solos from Rebello and Facey, into a mesmerizing, evanescent coda.
This album illustrates the breadth and vision that make Empirical such a potent creative force and underlines that longevity in the challenging world of top-tier contemporary jazz is no fluke. Reinforced by the inspiring contributions of their special guests, it’s a powerful statement of faith in the music’s ability to adapt, to inspire, to express the ineffable, to engage and to grow.
Track Listing:
1. The Naitoku (Tom Farmer) 07:51
2. She Moves (Lewis Wright) 05:51
3. True Cost (Tom Farmer) 05:52
4. Ursa, the Minor and Major bear (Tom Farmer) 04:44
5. Saha World (Tom Farmer) 06:08
6. As the Eagle (Nathaniel Facey) 05:34
7. Wonder is the Feeling (Tom Farmer) 07:56
Personnel:
Nathaniel Facey: alto saxophone (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Lewis Wright: vibraphone
Shaney Forbes: drums (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Tom Farmer: double bass (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Jason Rebello: piano (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
Alex Hitchcock: tenor saxophone (1, 3, 4)
Recorded at RAK Studio 3 (21& 22 December, 2022)
Engineered by William Purton
Mixed and Mastered by Alex Bonney and Empirical
Mastered by Lewis Wright
Produced by Empirical
Executive Producer for Whirlwind Recordings – Michael Janisch
Cover design and Original Artwork ‘Source of Life I’ by Claudia Kuss-Tenzer
Review:
Empirical don’t receive the same level of intense media hype as their peers on England’s jazz scene. Perhaps it’s because they’re an acoustic quartet, or that they’ve been releasing records since 2007 (Courtney Pine and Kit Downes played on their eponymous debut), or that they don’t fit the fusion or nu-jazz profiles, either. Empirical are a post-bop powerhouse playing high impact, progressive jazz that often crosses the avant-garde border, in original, straight-ahead jazz. Wonder Is the Beginning is the quartet’s debut on Michael Janisch’s Whirlwind Records after five previous long players — the latest in 2016 — and a pair of later, self-released EPs.
The Empirical quartet — Nathaniel Facey on alto saxophone; Lewis Wright on vibraphone; Tom Farmer on double bass, and Shaney Forbes on drums — are joined by veteran pianist Jason Rebello (Wayne Shorter, Jeff Beck) on all but one cut, and rising British tenor saxophone star Alex Hitchcock on three tracks.
“The Naitoku,” one of five tunes by Farmer, opens the set and features Rebello and both saxophonists. The title refers to a beginning student’s practice of Buddhism and those who support them (sanga). Vibes, droning bass, and rumbling tom-toms introduce the tune. Rebello joins with rubato dark chords, before drums and saxophones articulate the theme; first tenor, then alto. Wright’s vibes paint the backdrop, giving Rebello more room to bridge the saxophonists’ solos. With its shifting tempos and modes, the tune is a labyrinth with a circular rhythmic signature and perfect at just under eight minutes. The ballad “True Cost” offers the sextet delivering a gorgeous ballad. Wright uses pedals on his vibes, creating a flowing sense of reverb in his interplay with Rebello, Facey, and Hitchcock. After a gauzy intro, Farmer leads the pianist into a bluesy exchange with Hitchcock’s tenor. “She Moves,” composed by Wright, commences as a ballad before swinging out in midtempo with the post-bop blues. “Saha World” walks the tightrope between abstraction, vanguard balladry, and harmonic invention with killer work from Rebello and Wright; their conversation is subtle yet captivating and rangey. “As the Eagle Flies” is a vanguard exercise in modalism with carefully constructed cadences and accents. Rebello, Forbes, and Facey stagger crescendos and accents in pursuing the elusive melody. Closer “Wonder Is the Feeling” is delivered in stretched-out waltz time. It balances contrasting harmonies from the pianist, vibraphonist, and altoist. They continually return to the assonant swinging chorus anchored by Forbes. Facey’s solo is knotty, lyrical, and nearly transcendent, while Rebello’s blocky expressionist chords, fills, and intervallic vamps provide the formidable rhythm section a foil.
It would have been great to get a longer album after eight years, but one can’t complain about the depth and vision of the music on Wonder Is the Beginning. Given its intense focus, ambition, and elegant taste, the album’s reception should translate into global awareness for Empirical and their poignant, resonant, always innovative, progressive post-bop.
Thom Jurek (AllMusic)
