Matthew Halsall-Fletcher Moss Park-WEB-2012-USR-JKoop

ARTIST...: Matthew Halsall
TITLE....: Fletcher Moss Park
YEAR.....: 2012
LABEL....: Gondwana Records
CAT.NO...: GONDCD007
GENRE....: Jazz
TIME.....: 39:49 min
SIZE.....: 91.28 MB
QUALITY..: 320kbps/44.1kHz/Joint-Stereo
ENCODER..: LAME
SOURCE...: WEB
RLS.DATE.: 2012/11/08
WEBSITE..:

http://www.bagpak.net

TRACKLIST

01) (07:21) Cherry Blossom
02) (05:45) Fletcher Moss Park
03) (06:36) Mary Emma Louise
04) (01:29) Sailing Out To Sea
05) (02:31) Wee Lan (Little Orchid)
06) (07:50) The Sun In September
07) (08:17) Finding My Way

Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall is one
of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. His unique sound was brilliantly described
as "Rain-streaked spiritual jazz from Manchester" by the Independent On Sunday and
previous albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice
Coltrane or paying heartfelt tribute to the hard bop of the late '50s and early '60s,
but on Fletcher Moss Park he offers his most personal statement yet.

Written and recorded over the last couple of years, Fletcher Moss Park is inspired by
one of Manchester's most beautiful places. A rambling, multi-tiered park of walkways
and dreamy gardens that offers the contemplative Halsall a place of peace and respite
from the city, a meditative space to think and write in. The stillness and beauty of
the surroundings have steeped into his beautiful compositions for this album. Elegant
and sincere, Halsall's compositions draw on his love of spiritual jazz, modern dance
music and even his work with the award-winning Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band
earlier this year. Halsall who has recently been exploring his music in a
stripped-back, electronica influenced, trio (featuring Taz Modi and Luke Flowers who
also appear here) as well as the 12 piece Gondwana Orchestra has always favoured an
earthy honestly and direct communication over tricksy arrangements and it is this
deceptively simple openness that gives his music such a unique flavour as the young
composer and producer seeks to express his feelings and thoughts with his music.

Fletcher Moss Park opens with three tracks featuring saxophonist Nat Birchall,
harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall alongside bassist Gavin Barras and
drummer Gaz Hughes all long running members of Halsall's sextet. The beautiful Cherry
Blossom opens with a nod to Alice Coltrane before exploring it's own contemplative
trajectory, the title track features a gorgeous opening from harpist Gladwin and one
of Halsall's trademark slow but foot tappingly catchy grooves, Mary Emma Louise is an
elegant tribute to someone special and features some beautifully wistful playing from
the composer. Sailing Out To Sea and Wee Lan offer a change in mood, two short
interludes for violin (Holly Simpson and Davinder Singh), cello (Adrianne Wininsky)
and double bass (Barras), Halsall chose not to play here feeling that the brief
musical sketches caught his intentions perfectly. Finally the album closes with the
two most recent compositions, the reposeful Sun In September which features fine work
from flautist Lisa Mallett, alongside pianist Taz Modi and drummer Luke Flowers and
the uplifting Finding My Way, which with it's compelling groove and fine drumming
from Flowers (best known for his work with Cinematic Orchestra) offers a nod towards
Halsall's love of contemporary electronic music as well as a hint of future projects.
But as with the writing here you can be sure that wherever Halsall's muse takes him
his music will remain heartfelt and life affirming in it's elegant directness as he
explores his own unique musical terrain that stretches from the bucolic stillness of
Fletcher Moss Park to a world far beyond!