Empirical with Jason Rebello – Surprise is the Starting album launch
(World Coronary heart Beat Embassy Gardens, 15 March 2024. Assessment by Rob Mallows)

The jacket which sax participant Nathaniel Facey wore finally week’s album launch for Empirical’s new album Surprise is the Starting at a packed World Coronary heart Beat Embassy Gardens was a metaphor for the music that adopted: vibrant, vivid, artistic, and dry clear solely (effectively, possibly not the final one).

At all times a dapper band, with their fits thumbing a nostril at a lot of at this time’s casually dressed artistes, Facey’s white jacket with floral motifs was Joseph-dreamcoat-esque and despatched out a daring message: seventeen years in, core members Facey, Shaney Forbes on drums and Tom Farmer on bass, with Jonny Mansfield on vibraphones (depping for Lewis Wright), are nonetheless masters at portray brilliant, multi-tonal photos on their jazz canvas.

Supporting – wait, supporting’s a bit passive and undescriptive. Nourishing and gilding the Empirical sound was Jason Rebello on piano. One in every of my favorite British gamers, I used to be on the gig primarily to listen to his enjoying and he didn’t disappoint. I hadn’t truly seen Empirical dwell for possibly a decade; however this gig was a salutary reminder that once they get going within the dwell scenario, they are surely one thing.

Every one among their tunes was rapturously acquired by the 70 or so folks packed into the charmingly tight World Coronary heart Beat venue cum studio area. I used to be sat behind the rhythm part of Forbes and Farmer, each as sharp as a pair of tailor’s scissors on the quicker tracks and as tender gentle as a cashmere jumper on the ballads. It was a pleasure to see Farmer, eyes closed in focus, wielding his double bass with such depth, plucking magic from all 4 strings, and giving frequent figuring out seems throughout to Forbes that mentioned: “yeah, we received this.”

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Ait they’d. Over two units, the viewers was handled to nice solos, boisterous group enjoying, and loads of area for the quieter tunes to float across the area. Mansfield’s vibes enjoying was immaculate. It served effectively right here in offering the pastel shades to distinction Facey’s extra highly effective palette and Rebello’s vibrant effervescence.

Empiricism is the philosophy of constructing choices based mostly on verifiable commentary or expertise, quite than principle. On the proof of this new album, I can say doubtless that Empirical is in an excellent place.

LINK: Surprise is the Starting is out on Whirlwind Recordings