Empirical
Out ‘n' In
Naim Records 139
www.naimjazz.com
By George W. Harris

Fan of Eric Dolphy? Look no further. Never heard of the guy, here's a good port of entry. Empirical is a band that consists of Nathaniel Facey/as, Lewis Wright/vibes, Tom Falmer/b, Shaney Forbes/dr and guest Julian Siegel/ts-bcl. Together, they put together a fitting tribute to the free form artist that was flutist/as/bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy, who effectively rode shotgun for Mingus and Coltrane while putting out some wild and wooley material on his own.

Empirical captures the spirit of Dolphy's classic recordings like "Out To Lunch," more importantly, simply try to celebrate the jazz icon's challenging approach to music, melody and harmony on this multi-textured release. There are a smattering of Dolphy compositionshere, like "Gazzelloni" and "Hat & Beard" that mix Siegel's brooding bass clarinet with Wright's vibes to perfection. Farmer's and Facey's originals like "Out But In" and "A Bitter End For A Tender Giant" capture the feel of Dolphy's writings and work with Charles Mingus respectively, with the latter featuring some heartfelt bass and ensemble work at the end of the tune. Unpredictable, yet accessible, just like the inspiration himself.