Starting up a new series here for 2022, where we shine some light on our Album of the Week! This week, Matthew Halsall has won us over again with his recent release on Gondwana Records - a live rendition of his album Salute To The Sun from back in 2020.
Released in early December last year, this live album just arrived in this week's Friday Drop and has become a truly refreshing start to our year so far!
Salute to the Sun (Live at Hallé St. Peter's) is perfect for lovers of floaty, dreamlike excursions and appreciators of spiritually tinged jazz expressions. Embodying a speck of playfulness combined with a sense of organic and earthy connection, the lush movements guide your journey along, effortlessly gliding around deep and meditative territory with ease.
The music draws from the heritage of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, as well as the inspiration from ideas of ecology, the environment and harmony with nature - ideas and connections that seep into your consciousness as you sink deeper and deeper into the record.
Unfortunately, chances for live performances have been limited for Halsall and his group due to the pandemic. As a result, November 2020 saw the recording of this live album in Hallé St Peter in Manchester, streamed to a global audience. The concert film, recorded in the height of a winter lockdown captured something absolutely beautiful, and we're so grateful it has been given the vinyl treatment.
Ease into 2022 with Salute to the Sun - available here.