Matthew Halsall – An Ever Changing View
Manchester-based trumpeter, composer, producer, and label owner Matthew Halsall wanted to capture “the feeling of openness and escapism” for his new album “An Ever Changing View”, which arrived last Friday, three years after his stunning “Salute To The Sun” LP. He set himself up in an architect’s house in the British countryside and composed this wonderful music which is both meditation and healing. The 50-minute set perfectly works in its entirety, but the individual pieces also shine bright, as witnessed by the three tracks which were released prior to the album. “Water Street”, the exceptionally beautiful “Calder Shapes” (my favorite), and “Mountains, Trees And Seas” have accompanied us in the past couple of weeks and not a day goes by since Friday without listening to these amazing sounds which have a dream-like quality, taking you by the hand and move you to other places. There is a lot of flute and trumpet, but also warm Rhodes, sax, and different hand percussion (Glockenspiel, Kalimba) with the individual textures all leading up to a pretty unique, spiritual sound. It’s like magic. This is indeed a highly recommended, rewarding and satisfying experience and one of the best albums of the year so far. “An Ever Changing View” is now out on Gondwana Records, the label which Matthew, who just turned 40, founded in 2008. The album is out on double vinyl and please mark your calendars for his current tour:
09/13 Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Wylam Brewery Tap
09/14 Leeds – Belgrave Music Hall
09/15 Nottingham – Metronome (sold out)
09/16 Manchester – New Century Hall
09/21 London – Royal Albert Hall
09/22 Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre
09/23 Sheffield – Upper Chapel (sold out)
09/30 Huddersfield – The Parish
10/05 Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
10/06 Stroud – The Goods Shed
10/07 Shrewsbury – Theatre Severn
10/09 Exeter – Exeter Phoenix
10/10 Bristol – St. George’s (sold out)
10/12 Southampton – Turner Sims Concert Hall (sold out)
10/14 Cardiff – Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
10/17 Barcelona – Sala La Nau
10/18 Paris – Café de la Danse
10/19 Copenhagen – Hotel Cecil
10/21 Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
10/27 Cork – Jazz Festival
10/28 Cork – Jazz Festival
11/01 Amsterdam – De Duif (sold out)
11/02 Rotterdam – LantarenVenster (sold out)
11/03 Berlin – Passionskirche
11/04 Hamburg – Kampnagel, ÜberJazz Festival
11/05 Zurich – Moods
11/08 Poznan – Tama
11/09 Warszawa – Niem
11/19 Madrid – El Pavón Teatro Kamikaze
11/20 Lisboa – Centro Cultural de Belém
11/21 Porto – Casa da Música
05/24 Dortmund – Konzerthaus
