Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra

“When The World Was One”

(Gondwana Records)

Manchester based Matthew Halsall is something of a polymath, his roles including those of trumpeter, composer, band leader, record label owner/producer, remix artist and DJ. Since the release of his début solo album “Sending My Love” in 2008 Halsall has been undertaking a highly personal exploration of the legacy of modal era Miles Davis and the spiritual jazz of John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders. The journey has continued through “Colour Yes” (2009), On The Go” (2011) and “Fletcher Moss Park” (2012), this last named probably his best album to date.

The majority of the albums have appeared on Halsall’s own Gondwana Records imprint and have featured a loyal coterie of Mancunian musicians. The earlier recordings featured a basic quintet but Halsall has added other musical voices to his sound palette over the years with “Fletcher Moss Park” proving to be particularly rich in terms of colour and texture. It was perhaps his most obviously “spiritual” album up to that point, this being a theme that links all the recordings mentioned above.

Halsall’s latest offering, “When The World Was One” introduces his Gondwana Orchestra, an eight piece ensemble that features saxophonist Nat Birchall, pianist Taz Modi, bassist Gavin Barrass and drummer Luke Flowers. Harpist Rachael Gladwin has become an increasingly important presence in Halsall’s groups in recent years and she is joined here by flautist Lisa Mallett and by Keiko Kitamura on koto as Halsall continues to broaden his range of sounds and influences.

Much of the music on the latest album was written at the same time as that on “Fletcher Moss Park”  and Halsall regards this new recording as something of a companion piece to its predecessor. Gladwin, Mallett and Kitamura are more fully integrated into the band than previously and bring an distinctive world music element to Halsall’s investigations of the Davis/Coltrane legacy. It’s a unifying element that’s reflected in the album title , the choice also representing a clever play on the name of Halsall’s band/record label -  Gondwana being the ancient super-continent that broke up into the familiar land masses we know today -“When The World Was One” indeed.

At first the opening title track sounds like typical Halsall with a strong modally based theme that harks back to the era of Davis and Coltrane, but soon the music begins to take on an identity of its own through the subtle inflections of both harp and flute. Modi opens the soloing with a joyously flowing statement at the piano. Halsall’s own feature is more contemplative, his economic phrasing at first reminiscent of the cool eloquence of Miles Davis before expanding to embrace a low key passion. The blend of trumpet, saxophone and flute as the tune plays itself out is particularly beguiling and the whole piece is underpinned by the crisp but tasteful drumming of the Cinematic Orchestra’s Luke Flowers.

“A Far Away Place” is a more obvious exploration of world music sounds with Mallett’s bansuri flute particularly prominent in the mix. Gladwin’s harp also features strongly on a piece that acknowledges the influence of both Alice Coltrane and the recently departed Yusef Lateef. Gavin Barrass also fulfils a pivotal role on double bass, providing a vital grounding presence throughout whilst occasionally wandering into the foreground.

“Falling Water” features the pure toned soprano sax of Birchall as Gladwin’s harp scatters aural fairy dust around him. It’s modally constructed in the spiritual jazz tradition with the rhythm section of Modi, Barrass and Flowers again at its heart. Halsall’s own features finds him elegantly expressing the “spiritual search” that lies at the heart of so much of his music. Meanwhile Modi’s limpid piano solo reveals a more lyrical side of his undoubted talent.

“Patterns” is a more forceful expression of Halsall’s spiritual leanings with the blend of sax and flute on the theme particularly ear catching. Modi takes the first solo, this time in more expansive and uninhibited McCoy Tyner like mode. Halsall ‘s feature is again more contemplative, he represents the zen like calm and spirituality at the heart of the music. Flowers’ drum feature is well constructed, never losing shape of the flow of the piece.

Halsall has travelled widely in Japan, something that is reflected in the next two compositions. “Kiyomizu-Dera” is titled after the famous temple of the same name and features the lushly exotic sounds of flute and koto subtly woven into a modal jazz framework. 

“Sagano Bamboo Forest” features Birchall’s eastern influenced reed work. The saxophonist has recorded several albums of his own that also explore the legacy of John Coltrane, his musical and spiritual links with Halsall run very deep. The first part of this piece is essentially a lengthy but very satisfying feature for Birchall with Halsall eventually taking over, his tone at first singing but full of gravitas and later adding vocalised growls to his range of trumpet sounds. Anchored by Barrass the solos conclude with a feature for Kitamura on the zither like koto. Moving through three distinct phases but unified by Halsall’s unique musical and spiritual vision this is a richly rewarding piece of work.

The self explanatory “Tribute To Alice Coltrane” closes the album, an unambiguous homage by Halsall to one of the key figures of the “Spiritual Jazz” movement. Centred around Barrass’ opening bass motif this lazily slow burning piece features the beautifully languid tones of Mallet’s bansuri flute, Modi’s liquidly lyrical piano plus the leader’s coolly elegant trumpet. Naturally Gladwin also features on the harp, her playing appositely described by John Bungey writing in The Times as “silvery”.

“When The World Was One” continues Halsall’s spiritual and musical quest and subtly expands his highly personalised sound world. The music is superbly played by his trusted band of musicians with Halsall himself emphatically part of the ensemble rather than a “featured soloist”, an egoless approach that epitomises the spiritual nature of his music.

As ever on a Halsall record there are moments of genuine beauty and this album is certain to be a popular addition to his recorded canon. Perhaps naturally it doesn’t make quite the same kind of impact as “Fletcher Moss Park” which differed more radically from his previous work, this new album being more of a continuation of the “Fletcher Moss” aesthetic.

I find it somewhat surprising that critics don’t dismiss Halsall for being derivative and too much in thrall to the past but it’s an accusation that is seldom levelled. Perhaps it’s because Halsall publicly acknowledges his influences whilst similarly bringing enough of both himself and the 21st century to the music. On the other hand it may just be the pure, undeniable beauty of his sound. In any event there is much to enjoy here as always with the album also exhibiting the expected signs of artistic growth within Halsall’s self imposed musical framework. 

Halsall plays St. Barnabas Chapel, Greek Street, Soho, London tonight, 16th June 2014. 
He will also appear at the Love Supreme festival at Glynde Place, Sussex on 5th July.
Please visit http://www.matthewhalsall.com for more details.           

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