Matthew Halsall and the Gondwana Orchestra Tour

1st - 29th October 2015

Over the course of five albums, Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the UK music scene as one of it’s brightest talents. His languid, soulful music has won friends from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson to Jazz FM and Mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. His previous albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice Coltrane alongside his travels in Japan to create his own, uniquely British, rain-streaked Spiritual jazz. His latest album Into Forever, takes the Halsall sound still further, influenced by contemporary electronica and the classic Cadet recordings of Dorothy Ashby and Psychedelic-Soul arrangements of the great Charles Stepney (Rotary Connection, Minnie Ripperton and Terry Callier), Into Forever features Halsall’s Gondwana Orchestra expanded with strings, percussion and two guest vocalists Bryony Jarman-Pinto and Manchester based soul-poetess Josefine Oniyama.

“Rain-streaked spiritual jazz from Manchester”
The Independent on Sunday

“’Kind Of Blue’ meets The Cinematic Orchestra …”
Time Out

“A very attractive signature sound of modal-jazz swingers and Eastern-influenced, chin-stroking ballads.. it’s great”
★★★★☆ Independent On Sunday

“Combines deep, mellow modal grooves and cascading harp glissandi with sublime soloing to create something that’s simultaneously refreshing and relaxing”
★★★★★ Record Collector

“There should be more harps, not just in jazz, but in life generally the band plays with just enough oomph to conjure up meditative beauty”
★★★★☆ The Times

“Unreservedly recommended’
All About Jazz

Tickets from £14