One of last year’s best kept secrets was Mancunian trumpeter Matthew Halsall‘s sophomore album Colour Yes on Gondwana.

Colour Yes will delight fans of the dreamy astral jazz played by pianist/harpist Alice Coltrane, and that of saxophonists John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in their more reflective moments. Above all, it will bring a warm glow to enthusiasts for trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Bill Evans circa Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959). They may also be grateful that Halsall does not, at this point in his career anyway, feel the need to adopt Davis’ dictum: “I always gotta change, it’s like a curse.” In the case of Colour Yes, more of the same, lovely, gently swinging, uncomplicated beauty is a blessing. AllaboutJazz

Found this one on the top 2009 list by Other Music (who else) and jah bless; the opener Colour Yes – where Nat Birchall’s Saxophone steals the spotlight from Matt – is an instant classic, and the rest of the six tracks put a spell on the listener. This is an album where everything goes click and things work effortlessly, it’s dreamy and meditative, perfect for every hour of the day and every weather, a desert island disk for not only the jazz afficionado, but to modern soulful music listener who takes equal joy from soul, nujazz, hip-hop. 4.5/5