Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on Blue Note Records in November 1964. The album features Hancock alongside trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

Recording and composition

Empyrean Isles was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on June 17, 1964. Freddie Hubbard played cornet rather than his typical trumpet on the session. The four compositions on the album, including the future standard "Cantaloupe Island", are Hancock originals written over a two-year period.

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded Empyrean Isles four out of four stars. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album five out of five stars, calling it "a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right."

Track listing

Original release

1999 CD reissue

Personnel

Technical personnel

Charts