l-r Empirical: Shaney Forbes, Nathaniel Facey, Tom Farmer, Lewis Wright. Photo: Empirical on Bandcamp

The constants in the Empirical story from the very beginnings have been drummer Shaney Forbes and alto saxophonist Nathaniel Facey. The line-ups have changed down the years and long settled in recent times vibist Lewis Wright and double bassist Tom Farmer have completed what's essentially a four-piece. Here all the core members are joined in a new departure on a recording by the ex-Sting and Jeff Beck keyboardist/pianist Jason Rebello on 6 tracks. Jason was so good with Tim Garland on Life to Life last year and the way he operates here is to widen the harmonic funnel at the root of the band's soundbed operating in tandem with the subtly cosmic undertones that Wright often provides.

Major saxophone star-in-the-making Alex Hitchcock who made such an impact with any non-jazzphobic listener in possession of a half decent working pair of ears anyway on Dream Band: Live in London is on three of Wonder is the Beginning's 7 numbers. There is just enough of him to make a statement difference. Too much would have been yes a hitch perhaps to unbalance the album given how strong a player Facey is. Fans need to hear as much Facey as possible on an Empirical album and a good apportioning has been struck to introduce a new sax presence to sit alongside his hard to beat example. A UK hard bop-and-beyond band whose influences down the years have included Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson switched to the Whirlwind label for this their first album in eight years - their last release was 2016's Connection issued on the US Cuneiform label. Empirical between then and now did release an EP in 2022 called Like Lambs, however. And when that came out we were much struck by the comet-like quality of the pulsating 'Giants' from that release.

Their best albums were their Courtney Pine produced self-titled debut in 2007 when Jay Phelps, Neil Charles and Kit Downes were in the studio and then 2013's Tabula Rasa when the Shaney-Nat-Tom-Lewis sound was enhanced by strings. Opener 'The Naitoku,' 'True Cost,' wryly entitled 'Ursa, the Minor Major Bear,' 'Saha World' and 'Wonder is the Feeling' are Farmer tunes; Wright penned tender ballad 'She Moves' - Facey, 'As The Eagle'. So, thinking about some sort of verdict: it is that what's here is a mature and compelling listen and it is state of the art Empirical from a band of free thinkers grounded in orthodox modern-jazz traditions that have evolved into places only they know via original compositional input. Certainly a very humane and honest sound - Farmer's compositional voice is most fully grasped of any of their work hitherto.