dreadpirateroberts Easily my favourite Herbie Hancock release.

In saying that, I do enjoy his work in other genres. A lot. But here in this post bop, even hard bop, setting, in my opinion, he puts together one of his most consistent sets. Impressive for such a young player, with an equally young backing group.

I want to place the much-sampled 'Cantaloupe Island' (a wonderful, loose, funky work out) aside for a moment. It's a standout, and for the casual jazz listener, a great way in to this album. But for me the treasures are in the whole product as a single statement, rather than a single track.

Very much an improv-based exploration of ideas and themes, (taking their starting points from Greek myths) the music ranges across styles of free, bop, funk and modal jazz. With a fine collection of sidemen (Williams & Carter for rhythm and Hubbard on cornet) the material Hancock has written is handled wonderfully. It's an especially warm-sounding album, with inspired soloing (standard for much jazz, I know) especially from Hubbard on tracks like 'Cantaloupe Island' and 'One Finger Snap' or my favourite, 'Oliloqui Valley' with its deceptively gentle introduction and lurking bursts of energy. 'One Finger Snap' really steams ahead and lifts the pulse, making for a punchy opening to the record, with Hubbard exploding and Williams throwing in those unexpected snare snaps, rim shots and tom fills.

'Empyrean Isles' does what much jazz is known for doing exceedingly well; it allows but a single phrase or a melody or two to support solos and improv, giving everyone a welcome amount of freedom. The listener can hear the joy with which these tracks were performed and Hancock is in control without hogging the spotlight, giving everyone space, especially in the exploratory closing track 'The Egg.'

Much like his wonderful follow up 'Maiden Voyage' (which takes its thematic starting point from the sea) this record feels vital every time I play it, and reveals Hancock's deft touch, both for rhythm playing and soloing. A real treat. Five stars for me.

Note: The Rudy Van Gelder remaster includes two alternates takes ('One Finger Snap'& 'Oliloqui Valley')and is, as with all of his reissues that I've heard, of excellent sound quality.

FunkFreak75 Herbie is back with two of his cohorts from Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet": drummer extraordinaire Tony Williams and bass legend Ron Carter--plus long-time collaborator and Miles replacement, Freddie Hubbard.

A1. "One Finger Snap" (7:21) Freddie Hubbard can sure get inspired by a spirited swing! He's on fire--prompted, to be sure, by the play of Tony Williams and Ron Carter. Only Herbie feels a little out of place (which may have something to do with his one minute of silence beneath Freddie's solo). But then he shows that he's certainly improved and matured with his own great high-speed solo in the fourth and fifth minutes. He definitely has a gift for cleverly and subtly varying the melody with each pass through the phrases. Tony's amazingly entertaining solo in the seventh minute is so cleanly recorded, top to bottom, that it feels as if the sound of a full drum has never been captured so well. So cool! (14/15)

A2. "Oliloqui Valley" (8:30) here's an interesting song whose opening sounds so much like the clip from THE DRIFT's 2008 song "Uncanny Valley" that is used as the main theme song for The Moth Radio Hour podcast! Herbie is the front man from the very start and, I must say that his gift for pleasing melodies (despite his penchant [and talent] for varying them with each and every recapitulation) is quite remarkable. At the end of the fourth minute Herbie finally relinquishes the spotlight in lieu of Freddie's cornet. Freddie's great--quite dynamic and exciting--but he still can't prevent me from gravitating to the extraordinary play of both Herbie and Tony. At 5:40 all but Tony's cymbal play and the odd piano chord step aside to allow Ron Carter to be heard in solo. Ron chooses to take the melody and rhythm off into an mind-bending psychedelia of pitch distortion and pace warp. Never expected that! When Herbie and the others return and push Freddie back to the front the song is about over and I'm sad! That was one of the fastest 8:30's I've ever experienced! (18.75/20)

B1. "Cantaloupe Island" (5:33) We are here once again (like "Watermelon Man") exposed to Herbie's genius for pop-friendly melodies and earworm "hooks." It sounds to me like a bit of a combination of variations on the main melodies of the famous samba-inspired songs, "Mas que nada" by Jorge Ben (released in 1963; later, in 1966, made famous by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66) and Billy and Gene Page's "The 'In' Crowd" (which was, coincidentally being recorded for the very first time by and for Doby Gray just before Empyrean Isles was released). Nice cornet soloing over the two-part Brasilian-influenced song. (9/10)

B2. "The Egg" (14:01) built over one of the strangest rhythm motifs I've come across: there is a third-world (African) tribal ecstatic dance feel to this--a tense environment that Herbie's piano play is only encouraged and --until 5:15 when things "break" for another creative Ron Carter solo--this time with his bow on his double bass--while Tony (or someone) adds percussive accents and support to the odd "Aquatic Astronaut" sounds Ron is playing. Around the seven minute mark Herbie re-enters and steps up front to play some very angular, mathematical 20th Century "classical" piano stylings before turning it into jazz in the ninth minute as Ron and brush-handed Tony return to jazz-like support. The tneth minute sees a run in which Herbie parades a cascade of more unconventional "classical"-sounding chord progressions before heading off into a mouse/bug-like scurrying mode of play runs on the right handed keys. In the 12th minute Ron and Herbie (mostly) cut out to allow Tony to channel some of his own "weird hee-bee-gee-bee" ideas/inspirations. By the arrival of the 13-minute mark, Freddie is returning and the band is recongealing into a variation of the opening motif for the song's close. Interesting! Fun for a live performance or an internal band exercise, but not so much for the gentle listener. Of the musicians' performances I can say that only Herbie's really wowed me; the rest of the improvised expositions felt a little forced, faked, or soulless. (25.75/30)

Total time: 35:25

Though the growth of all four musicians is on keen display, I find myself a bit let down and turned off by the final piece, "The Egg."

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of melodic and yet sophisticated and often experimental jazz. Highly recommended for its first three songs.