Portrait

Description
'Portrait: Reflections on Belonging', is the much anticipated album from innovative and renowned British jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen - it is his first recorded release in 13 years, and overall his fifth solo publication following his previous album 'Meeting Ground' (2007) for which he received nominations for Best Band and Best Album in the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards and Best Jazz Act in the 2007 MOBO Awards

'Portrait' is a journey from Wallen's sumptuous experiences of decades of extensive travelling, studying contemporary and indigenous cultures and connecting with people from all over the world, to realigning himself with the colourful kaleidoscope that is his own local community. He explains: "This album is a meditation and reflection on the powerful impact that music has had on my life. It was conceived whilst sitting in the central square in Woolwich, an area of South East London. I was struck by the community around me with its mixture of cultures and nationalities, from Nepalese elders to young Nigerian men, Somali mothers with their children, a new Eastern European contingent and descendants of families who used to work in the docks and at the Arsenal. Music paved my way to travel and see the world, meeting people from all different cultures and walks of life. The study of music and the process of striving to become a better musician furnished me with a deeper knowledge of self and a gift I could share on so many different levels."

Personnel: Byron Wallen (trumpet, flugelhorn, shells, piano and percussion), Rob Luft (guitar), Paul Micheal (bass guitar), Rod Young (drums), Richard 'Olatunde' Baker (conga, talking drums), Plumcroft Primary School (vocals). All compositions by Byron Wallen.
Tracklisting