Elements Of Truth

british post-bop pin-up boys empirical made a swift ascent to the heights of the uk jazz scene in april 2007, when their courtney pine produced, eponymous debut album garnering the group accolades such as jazzwise magazine's album of the year, mojo magazine's jazz album of the year and bbc jazz awards best ensemble. empirical now return with their most expertly crafted, mature and individual statement to date. however, this talented quartet's successful projection has not been as straightforward as it may, at first, seem. 'elements of truth' is about getting back to the essence of empirical; observing, experimenting and commenting through music. unlike the finite dolphy-led insight of 'out 'n' in', the new album gives empirical space to draw upon influences from film and tv, proverbs, sayings and even sports! so while collectively they will acknowledge musical influences from the oblique sounds of andrew hill and eric dolphy's sublime out to lunch, to the more contemporary stylings of vijay iyer or namecheck wayne shorter and branford marsalis, it is their unique ability to express what they think and feel on a range of ideas through the collaborative trial and error process of jazz improvisation that makes them such a powerful group.