Empirical
Empirical is a British jazz group, formed in 2007. Critic Brian Morton described the band in 2022 as "one of the great British contributions to European jazz".
Empirical was formed partly by students at the Trinity College of Music in London. The original line-up was trumpeter Jay Phelps, alto saxophonist Nathaniel Facey, pianist Kit Downes, bassist Neil Charles and drummer Shaney Forbes. Their eponymous first album came in 2007 and was produced by Courtney Pine, who also played on the recording. On the back of the release, the band toured extensively in Europe.
Bassist Tom Farmer replaced Charles in 2007 and George Fogel and Freddy Gravita replaced Downes and Phelps for concert performances in 2009. Saxophonist Julian Seigel was present for their second album, Out 'n' In. It was a homage to Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch! album; most of the compositions were originals. The subsequent Elements of Truth was recorded for Naim Records; vibraphonist Lewis Wright replaced Seigel and most of the compositions were written by Farmer. The same quartet later recorded Tabula Rasa and Connection, as well as two EPs. Connection was their fifth release and their first on Cuneiform Records. It was recorded in 2015. A reviewer for Cadence concluded that: "This is a band who knows how to maintain interest over a disc with variety and top notch playing." Adding pianist Jason Rebello and tenor saxophonist Alex Hitchcock on some tracks, Empirical recorded Wonder Is the Beginning for Whirlwind Recordings in 2022.
Wright left Empirical in 2024. Two years later, Whirlwind released Like Lambs: To the Slaughter, with the surviving trio augmented by pianist Ivo Neame and guitarist David Preston.
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