Imperious lynchpin of British jazz Matthew Halsall returns with an eighth album that anchors his yearning, meditative and organic improvisations to heartfelt themes of ecology, nature, stars and rainforests.

The Mancunian trumpeter, composer, DJ and label owner Matthew Halsall has long resided at the vanguard of the thriving UK modern jazz scene, issuing a slew of critically acclaimed releases as well as igniting the careers of numerous luminaries; Chip Wickham, Nat Birchall, Go Go Penguin and Mammal Hands to name just four. 

Salute To The Sun is his latest offering and his first new missive since 2015. Recorded in his home studio over a sequence of weekly sessions with a hand-picked supporting cast comprising harpist Maddie Herbert, drummer Alan Taylor, percussionist Jack McCarthy, pianist Liviu Gheorghe, flautist and saxophonist Matt Cliffe and bassist and long-time collaborator Gavin Barras, the seven tracks assembled here echo the bandleader’s enduring fascination with the iconic spiritual jazz typified by Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Yusef Lateef and the modal, rain-washed British style essayed on Gilles Peterson’s impeccable Impressed series of compilations (Michael Garrick, Stan Tracey et al), this time filtered through the prism of ecological matters.