Matthew Halsall - Fletcher Moss Park (Gondwana 2012)

Manchester trumpeter Matthew Halsall has just signed the burning fusion energies of rising local stars GoGo Penguin to the label he runs, Gondwana, but his own soundworld is more contemplative. His group combines 1960s modal-jazz looseness with the meditative music of Alice Coltrane, thanks to the presence of fine harpist Rachael Gladwin in the ensemble. This set is Halsall's heartfelt tribute to Manchester's Fletcher Moss Park, an important personal retreat from his city's turbulence. The leader's trumpet sound is pure and his phrasing graceful (his interests span brass bands as well as electronica and trip-hop). The tracks range from the swirling piano and harp sounds of Cherry Blossom, to the title track's glimmering harp sounds, arco bass and splashing cymbals, and the solemnly compelling low-trumpet epilogue, Finding My Way. That finale – joining the leader's horn, Taz Modi's alluring piano and Luke Flowers' inventively drumming – unleashes a quiet drive; the rather passive playing elsewhere on the set could have used a shade more of that. John Fordham The Guardian