Tabula Rasa

The Guardian once commented that “Empirical have become fascinating and fearless” and their fourth album Tabula Rasa is evidence that this is still very much the case.

Never a band to shy away from taking risks, Tabula Rasa is a double album and marks yet another new direction from the band once dubbed by the Daily Telegraph as “the coolest of Britain's young jazz bands”. Now come of age, they are considered one of the UK's most highly acclaimed jazz outfits and Tabula Rasa is the next chapter in their developing story, consolidating ideas first explored on their previous Naim Jazz albums ‘Out'n'In’ (2009) and ‘Elements of Truth’ (2011).

Those familiar with Empirical's music will know that experimentation and observation have always been key – forming the basis of 2011's ‘Elements of Truth’ – and on Tabula Rasa they are as vital as ever. Not only have they taken the bold step of working with strings, they have also embraced the theme of storytelling. Tabula Rasa is therefore an anthology of sorts, with each track being a story or character in its own right.

Review

As their name suggests, this quartet's approach is determinedly experimental, and the tabula rasa of the title is the state of mind they seek to encourage in their listeners. By the time I reached the second disc of this double album, they had succeeded. I had given up trying to imagine what might happen next. In this inert state, I quite enjoyed hearing four very accomplished young jazz musicians, along with the strings of the Benyounes Quartet, creating fascinating patterns in sound. It could have continued forever without reaching any real conclusion. Puzzling, but beautifully played. Dave Gelly – The Observer