Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View (2LP) [Gondwana Records]

Trumpeter, bandleader and composer Matthew Halsall announces landmark new album ‘An Ever Changing View’, an expansive and impeccably conceived project that features Halsall’s distinctive blend of jazz, electronica, global and spiritual jazz influences.

‘An Ever Changing View’ will be released on Gondwana Records (the label Halsall founded 15 years ago), ahead of a landmark show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on September 21 and UK & EU tour dates.

Halsall, who has been acclaimed as one of the leading figures in the UK jazz renaissance, has never seen himself as part of just one sound or scene - instead, he builds his own sonic universe. ‘An Ever Changing View’ finds him at his most experimental yet, once again expanding his sound and production techniques to create his unique brand of deeply meditative music.

During the album's creation, he lodged in both a beautiful architect's house with stunning sea views and a striking modernist home, where he composed what he saw “as a landscape painting”. In these new environments, Halsall wanted to capture “the sense of openness and escapism” and approach music-making again from scratch. “I pressed the reset button and wanted to have complete musical freedom,” he says. “It was a real exploration of sound.”

‘An Ever Changing View’ comes in packaging as striking as the music, with handmade fonts designed by Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic and specially commissioned tapestry by artist Sara Kelly is a stunning and harmonious complement to the sound of the record.