One of the most intoxicating spiritual jazz concoctions I have ever heard. Already now you can tell this is timeless music; I will be surprised if in ten or even twenty years from now I will play this gem via my CD player and it won’t move me.
While as Gondwana‘s boss Matthew Halsall works hard to produce and push forward fresh and innovative music from young talented groups, such as GoGo Penguin and Mammal Hands for example, as band-leader, trumpeter, composer and arranger he deals with the more classic forms of spiritual jazz. Don’t let it fool you though. Classic? Yes. Clichéd? No. Refreshing? Definitely. One can see Halsall as a torch carrier of a beautiful ancient art form.
When The World Was One is Halsall’s latest offering. With this album he continues the exploration which started with his 2012 stellar album, Fletcher Moss Park. The Gondwana Orchestra includes longtime co-conspirators Nat Birchall (saxophone), Taz Modi (piano), Gavin Barras (double bass) and Rachael Gladwin (harp). Also on full duty are Cinematic Orchestra’s drummer, Luke Flowers, and flautist Lisa Mallett, who were guests on Fletcher Moss Park and are now full-time members of The Gondwana Orchestra. Koto player Keiko Kitamura completes the lineup. Although rich and warm scents from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s dominate the album, there’s something fresh and contemporary in the movement, groove and spirit of each piece. Halsall’s DJ sets can stand as a testimony to his colorful taste and variety of influences.
I’m not the biggest fan of long solos. Here though, among the elegant structures and lovely melodies, the solos feel natural and in place, not like forced empty technique displays. Whether it’s Modi, Birchall, Gladwin, Kitamura or Halsall himself in the forefront, the solos never exhaust the listener. Barras and Flowers provide a solid, sophisticated and dynamic backbone on which their co-conspirators engagingly interact. Halsall composed all the pieces as group efforts, not as a stage for him to shine solely. Throughout the entire album there’s a sense of a unique spell generated by a crystallized unit. The music flows effortlessly from delicate and dreamy to powerful and busy. Eastern flavors infuse the album via Mallett’s bansuri and Kitamura’s koto, together with Gladwin’s alluring harp playing they add mystical and exotic qualities. On top of all that, When The World Was One is another Gondwana release that carries the benefits of the exceptional recording and production process of Manchester-based 80 hertz studio. That really allows us the listeners to experience the music properly and really enjoy its raw and multilayered yet spacious nature.
John and Alice Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Art Blakey and McCoy Tyner might spring to mind while listening to When The World Was One, but Halsall certainly has a sound and style of his own. This time with the help of his wonderful Orchestra, he manages to manifest it beautifully once again. This music works wonderfully on sunny Saturday mornings, but I’m sure can also warm you up during a rainy night while sitting on the listening couch covered by your favorite blanket and drinking a good cup of tea. This is one of the most intoxicating spiritual jazz concoctions I have ever heard. Already now you can tell this is timeless music; I will be surprised if in ten or even twenty years from now I will play this gem via my CD player and it won’t move me.
When The World Was One is available on Gondwana.
