Multi award-winning jazz sensation Empirical have won the MOBO Award in 2010’s Best Jazz Act category for their album Out ‘n’ In.
“Big Thanks To MOBO for recognising British jazz, it’s our honour. Thanks to everyone who voted for us” .Empirical
Empirical’s smart post-bop musical style - coupled with its suited and booted sartorial sharpness - has drawn admiring notices on both sides of the Atlantic. Its self-titled debut recording, released on Courtney Pine’s Destin-E label in 2007, went on to be voted Jazzwise magazine's album of the year, and Mojo magazine’s jazz album of the year. Expertly incorporating elements of classical, African and Cuban musical forms into its original, sophisticated, fresh-sounding jazz, Empirical makes a point of not centring itself around a specific front line or leader; it is very much a complete band, each member contributing equally, adding their own facets to the overall sound.
In May 2008, Empirical collected the Ensemble of the Year prize at the annual Parliamentary Jazz Awards, held at the House of Commons, and organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group. This award was just the latest in a succession of accolades the band has picked up in its short lifetime: Empirical’s award-winning assault on the jazz scene began at the North Sea Jazz Festival in July 2007 when it won the inaugural EBU/European Jazz Competition; this was followed later that year by the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award
Gracing the stages of some of the most prestigious international festivals, including the iconic Newport Jazz Festival (Rhode Island, USA), as well as Canada’s Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal jazz festivals, Empirical continue to deliver performances that encapsulate, inspire and quite frankly, wow their audiences.
Recent international success has included appearances this year at two of Europe’s most prestigious festivals - Jazz sous les Pommiers, Coutances, France and Jazz a Liège in Belgium, garnering high praise from the latter's programmer Sam Pierot, who remarked "the best I saw during the festival - super musicians!"
Further adding to their European achievements, Empirical is one of the few British bands featured at the renowned Molde International Jazz Festival this summer.
Empirical’s much anticipated second album, Out ‘n' In, produced by Jason Yarde, and featuring special guest Julian Siegel, was released on Naim Jazz in September 2009. Out ‘n' In pays tribute to Eric Dolphy’s musical legacy through nine Dolphy-inspired original compositions and two new arrangements of his work: Hat and Beard and Gazzelloni. The album featured prominently in Mojo magazine’s top ten jazz albums of 2009, as well as appearing in several other top ten lists – not to mention, garnering rave reviews in the US media.
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AGENT
Air Artist Agency
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Naim Jazz
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Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2009 - BEST ENSEMBLE
EBU/European Jazz Competition - WINNER 2007
Peter Whittingham Award - WINNER December 2007
Jazzwise - ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007
Mojo - JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007
