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Related Reviews

Cadence
'intriguing in the way they exploit the rhythmic freedom of sax and vibes together.....very stylish and strong'
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'you’d be a fool to miss this band live if they are anywhere near you'
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"One of the best young jazz combos in England"
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Jazzism
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Music Maker
"Like the genie in the lamp, this [album] releases the spirit of Dolphy. Listen to Empirical and make three wishes."
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Audiophile Audition
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California Chronicle
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"Explosive? This is the future of jazz now."
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Jazz Times
"Out ‘n' In is driven by a desire to further avant garde art and to keep it relatable to contemporary audiences."
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Buffalo News
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Northern Echo
"a wonderful combination of control and looseness"
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"Empirical have managed to tackle one of the most advanced minds in the jazz canon and grow organically from it is emphatic testimony to a daring and maturity that can only bode well for the future."
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"a momentous album, great in itself and promising even greater things to come."
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The Observer
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"an excelllent record...there is clearly much more to come from these excellent musicians"
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Jazz Journal
"Empirical come out strongly, with some genuinely thoughtful and innovative charts and comme il faut playing"
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Coventry Telegraph
"Their style remains distinctive, but they have the courage to make a complete shift of emphasis in terms of their compositional direction. They succeed with a boundless finesse."
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"gorgeous"
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Financial Times
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"a fresh faced knockout"
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Evening Standard
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"intelligent, spacey music with absorbing solos"
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The Guardian
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"full of sparky variety...excellent"
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BBC Music Magazine
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"expertly sequenced with a fine sensibility for the music...as close to taking the band home as it gets"
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Jazz Breakfast
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The Scotsman
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"graceful...dramatic and subtle...a daring maturity that can only bode well for the future"
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Record Collector
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"imaginative renderings of two classic Dolphy numbers, [but] what's really striking are the nine original tunes"
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City Life
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Daily Telegraph
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Mojo
4 Stars
[Empirical] continue to astonish with their spirit and skill"
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Out 'n' In in Independent on Sunday


04 October 2009
Independent on Sunday
Phil Johnson

Goatee-stroking, beatnik free-jazz from the rejigged Empirical, with only altoist Nathaniel Facey, drummer Shaney Forbes and bassist Tom Farmer remaining from the band's lauded debut two years ago.

Nine original tunes and two by Eric Dolphy help to create an impressively out-there sound, although Dolphy's own experiment is now nearly 50 years old. The conversational partnership of Facey's sax with the vibes of Lewis Wright, plus bellowing tenor from guest Julian Siegel, keep things interesting, though it's a close-run thing.


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