Jazz Articles about Matthew Halsall

About Matthew Halsall

Album Review

Matthew Halsall: Matthew Halsall: On the Go (Special Edition)

Read "Matthew Halsall: On the Go (Special Edition)" reviewed by Phil Barnes

by Phil Barnes
July 1, 2016

Slipping under the radar this low-key reissue of Matthew Halsall's classic 2011 album should not be ignored. Why so? Well rather than just tweak the tapes for a first vinyl issue Halsall, who it appears was not completely happy with the original mix, has taken the opportunity to commission a full remix and remaster by George Atkins, and added a generous 3 previously unreleased contemporaneous tracks inspired by Miles Davis' soundtrack to Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Lift to the Scaffold).

Extended Analysis

Matthew Halsall & the Gondwana Orchestra: Into Forever

by Phil Barnes
September 30, 2015

Some artists epitomise the times they live in, while others go their own way, standing apart from the herd, ploughing their own furrow. As the self-aggrandising, dishonest and downright greedy seem to gain ever greater prominence in our world, those whose work can provide a few moments of respite, refuge and reflection become more and more important--artists like Manchester's Matthew Halsall, who here releases his sixth album since 2008. On Into Forever Halsall shares the billing with the Gondwana Orchestra ...

Extended Analysis

Matthew Halsall & the Gondwana Orchestra: When the World Was One

by Phil Barnes
May 27, 2014

Change, or at least an evolution of the Halsall sound, is very much in the air on this wonderful new record. Credited to Halsall and the Gondwana Orchestra there is a feeling of expansion of the musical palette, further steps on a satisfying journey towards the destination identified on 2012's transitional Fletcher Moss Park. That earlier record showed the way that Halsall was looking to evolve and shift his musical path--it began with pieces recorded in 2010 around ...

Album Review

Matthew Halsall: Fletcher Moss Park

Read "Fletcher Moss Park" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
October 21, 2012

In the small market town of Didsbury, a few miles south of the city of Manchester, lies Fletcher Moss Park. It's a little oasis of exotic greenery that contrasts with the history of the area as a heartland of the Industrial Revolution: it's also a place where trumpeter and composer Matthew Halsall finds comfort and relaxation. Halsall's fourth album, Fletcher Moss Park is a fitting acknowledgement of the meditative qualities of the park, an album full of Halsall's beautiful, spacious ...

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Album Review

Matthew Halsall: On The Go

Read "On The Go" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
April 13, 2011

Sometimes it's best to get straight to the point, to stop beating around the bush and avoid going round in circles. This is one of those times. On The Go is superb, a finely-crafted, emotionally and spiritually engaging work that stands comparison with anything the jazz world currently has to offer, and with plenty of the finest from the jazz world's past. On The Go is the third album from trumpeter Matthew Halsall, one of a growing ...

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Album Review

Matthew Halsall: Colour Yes

by Chris May
November 2, 2009

Just gorgeous. Manchester-based trumpeter Matthew Halsall's second album ploughs the same delicate, acoustic, modal jazz furrow as his debut, Sending My Love (Gondwana, 2008). The lineup of fellow Mancunians is much the same too, with flautist Roger Wickham replaced by harpist Rachael Gladwin on three of the six tracks. Just so there's no mistaking where Halsall is coming from, the cover art is also a near-clone of that used on the first disc. Colour Yes will delight fans ...