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Seed Sedgemoor

Empirical’s Jazz Popup Lounge

The phenomenal must-see jazz quartet Empirical 

Brought their popup Jazz lounge to The Engine Room Bridgwater this September.

Treating music fans and curious passers-by to 13 free heavily improvised sets over 2 days

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About the band

Formed in 2007, the multi award-winning quartet Empirical ‘is still a reliable touchstone of contemporary British jazz at its most sophisticated’ (Jazzwise).

Featuring Nathaniel Facey (alto sax), Tom Farmer (double bass), Lewis Wright (vibraphone) and Shaney Forbes (drums), Empirical’s instrumentation has proved the perfect vehicle for the band’s invariably complex compositions and distinctive signature sound. ‘Flirting with nostalgia while living on the edge of experimentation’ (Jazzwise), Empirical’s music is defined by a deep commitment to improvisation and a uniquely collective creative process.

In keeping with their risk-taking approach to music-making, in 2016 the quartet embarked on a daring exercise in audience creation with their ‘Pop-up Jazz Lounge’ residency project, which has seen the band turn disused shops in train stations and shopping malls in London, Berlin, Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bath into fully-fledged jazz clubs, for a week at a time. Since then, the band has played to more than 10,000 appreciative commuters and shoppers, racking up over 150 live sets in the process.

For Empirical, this kind of gigging marathon is a much-relished opportunity to develop new musical ideas during live performance such as their two-part EP set entitled Indifference Culture and Distraction Tactics.

With their characteristic interplay between composed and improvised parts, Empirical once again demonstrate their masterful ability to inhabit contrasting emotional states in their playing.

A new full-length album is planned for release in 2023.

 

 

 ‘Empirical are exactly what top-class modern jazz should be – trailblazing yet wholly respectful of tradition.’ (Time Out London)

 ‘Empirical are among the most admired and individual-sounding bands in contemporary jazz. […] As anyone who has heard the band live will know, their approach is so fresh and their sound so appealing that there’s never a dull moment.’ (The Observer)

 ‘Empirical have become fascinating and fearless’ (The Guardian)

‘(Empirical) continue to display a fiercely imaginative sensibility, producing music as challenging and stimulating as anything on the international scene’ (MOJO Magazine)