Matthew Halsall - Salute to the Sun / Live at Hallé St. Peter's (December 3, 2021 Gondwana Records)

Salute to the Sun: Live at Hallé St Peter’s documents a very special concert recorded at the iconic Manchester venue during lockdown.

Released in November 2020, Matthew’s Halsall’s Salute to the Sun was the trumpeter’s first album since 2015’s Into Forever and marked the debut of his new band. A hand-picked ensemble featuring some of Manchester’s finest young musicians. The album drew it’s energy from the band’s weekly sessions and was inspired by Halsall’s love of nature. Lush and spiritual it received universal praise, but Halsall and his band were frustrated that they were unable to share their beautiful new sound live with an audience.

On November 25th 2020, Halsall took his band into the iconic Manchester venue, Hallé St Peter’s, for a concert recording in aid of the charity Mind, that was streamed on January 21st 2021 to a global audience in the thousands. The concert was also recorded for posterity.

“When we recorded Salute to the Sun, I wanted to create something playful but also quite earthy and organic that connected to the sounds in nature. It seemed to strike a chord with people and I was blown away by the response to the album. Our concert film, recorded at the height of last winter’s lockdown was a special moment for us all and I feel that the concert recording captured something beautiful that we wanted to share”.

Salute to the Sun: Live at Hallé St Peter’s features Matthew Halsall – trumpet, Matt Cliffe - flute & saxophone, Maddie Herbert – harp, Gavin Barras – bass, Liviu Gheorghe – piano, Alan Taylor – drums and Jack McCarthy - percussion

The recording has been mixed by Matthew Halsall and George Atkins at 80 Hertz and is mastered by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works. The vinyl was cut at Calyx in Berlin and the album is pressed at Optimal in Germany. It is presented in the form of a limited edition 2LP set with artwork by legendary designer Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic.

Spread over three sides of the vinyl LP for maximum fidelity the fourth side of the LP (side D) features an etching of Daniel Halsall’s now iconic artwork for the album Salute to the Sun and copies are strictly limited with just 3000 available in total. The album will also be available for download and on streaming platforms.

All prices shown are “NET of VAT” (Value Added Tax). VAT will be calculated and added at the checkout. You will be charged the appropriate rate which will vary depending on the country.

This release was uploaded at 24 bit / 88.2 kHz and available in FLAC, WAV, AIFF or MP3 and available in FLAC, WAV, AIFF or MP3. 

1. Harmony with Nature (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

2. Joyful Spirits of the Universe (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

3. Canopy & Stars (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

4. Mindfulness Meditations (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

5. Tropical Landscapes (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

6. Salute to the Sun (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

Matthew Halsall – trumpet

Matt Cliffe - flute & saxophone

Maddie Herbert – harp

Gavin Barras – bass

Liviu Gheorghe – piano

Alan Taylor – drums

Jack McCarthy - percussion

PREORDER

Chip Wickham - Shamal Wind (LOVEMONK May 25, 2018)

Recorded in Madrid in July 2017, Shamal Wind combines Chip Wickham’s globetrotting, spiritual jazz expeditions with hard-won schoolings in the funk. Following his critically acclaimed 2017 debut, La Sombra, the record draws on spiritual jazz influences like Yusef Lateef and Sahib Shihab, and rests on Chip’s many-sided experience as a musician, spanning left-field beat experiments to hard-hitting funk heavyweights. 

After the Latin and flamenco whispers on La Sombra, Shamal Wind adds some Arab-influence percussion to the mix, most notably on the title track. Elsewhere, ‘Barrio 71’ sees him nodding to Shihab: high energy, lyrical and absorbing, with sax and the vibraphone taking the lead. ‘Snake Eyes’ taps into the meditative exaltations of modal jazz, while ‘Soho Strut’ nods to the jazz fusion, funk-influenced side of Chip’s playing. 

Like the Persian Gulf winds referenced in the album title, which often mark the shift to a new season, this album signals a new chapter for Chip, opening up a newfound energy and inclusiveness in his music, and further expanding on what he achieved in the past year. “Shamal Wind” is a heavy record, built on strong foundations. 

Over the past 3 decades Chip Wickham has worked, written, recorded, and toured with the likes of Rae & Christian, Fingathing, The Pharcyde, Jimpster, Nightmares On Wax, Graham Massey, Roy Ayers, Nat Birchall, The New Mastersounds, Lack Of Afro, Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, Matthew Halsall, and Dwight Trible.

1. Shamal Wind

2. Snake Eyes

3. Soho Strut

4. The Mirage (Feat. Matthew Halsall)

5. Barrio 71

6. Rebel No.23

Chip Wickham: flute, alto flute & baritone saxophone

Ton Risco: vibraphone

Phil Wilkinson: piano

David Salvador: double bass

Antonio Alvarez Pax: drums

David el Indio: congas, bongos, bell and percussion

* Matthew Halsall: trumpet on The Mirage

* Gabri Casanova: Wurlitzer piano on Rebel No.23

All tracks written by Chip Wickham

Produced and mixed by Chip Wickham

Recorded to analogue tape by Javier Ortiz at Estudio Brazil (Madrid)

Assisted by Marcos Bandera

Rebel No.23 recorded at Red Led Studios Madrid

Mastered by Damian Schwartz

Matthew Halsall - One the Go (Special Edition) 2016 (GONDWANA RECORDS)

present

Matthew Halsall - One the Go (Special Edition) 2016

We are very happy to announce, that due to popular demand, Matthew Halsall’s 2011 award-winning album, ON THE GO, is being issued for the first time on vinyl (2xLP), including three (never heard before) bonus tracks. The album has been specially remixed and remastered by Matthew Halsall and George Atkins at 80 Hertz. The release will be available on LP/CD/DL formats. 

WINNER OF THE BEST JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards, 2012 

Nominated Best Jazz Album MOBO Awards, 2011 

"If I could watch any jazz band in the UK, any, I would choose Matthew Halsall's band, just love what he's been doing over the last few years... It's always high level, spiritual jazz music" Gilles Peterson - BBC Radio 1 

"An exciting British jazz artist" Jamie Cullum - BBC Radio 2 

"Lovely record that deepens with every listen" The Independent on Sunday 

“On The Go is a strikingly original and fiercely contemporary record – the product of a musician who openly acknowledges his influences but filters them through his own 21st century sensibility to create jazz that’s fresh but also, paradoxically, familiar and timeless” Mojo Magazine 

“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” All About Jazz 

“A very beautiful album with fantastic, thoughtful performances from all involved” Blues and Soul Magazine 

“This is cool retro jazz with buckets of contemporary invention and Northern soul” Metro Newspaper 

“A gem of an album from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – his third on the Gondawa label, and like all the others, a set that we'd easily rank right up there with the best 70s spiritual jazz on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz!” Dusty Groove 

“Matthew’s easily the brightest star in UK jazz right now” Echoes Magazine 

www.gondwanarecords.com

www.matthewhalsall.com

Released May 20, 2016

Special Edition Compact Disc

Compact Disc (CD)

Compact disc version of the album in a jewel case.

Tracklisting

01. Music for a Dancing Mind

02. Song for Charlie

03. The End of Dukkha

04. Samatha

05. The Journey Home

06. The Move

07. Only You (Bonus Track)

08. Singing Everyday (Bonus Track)

09. Breathless (Bonus Track) 

Includes unlimited streaming of On The Go (Special Edition) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Personnel 

Matthew Halsall, trumpet

Nat Birchall, saxophone

Adam Fairhall, piano

Gavin Barra, bass

Gaz Hughe, drums

Rachael Gladwi, harp (on track 4)

All tracks composed by Matthew Halsall. Recorded by Brendan Williams. Mixed & Mastered by George Atkins at 80 Hertz

Photos by Simon Hunt. Graphic design by Daniel Halsall

BUY THIS ALBUM

The End of Dukkha