The late trumpeter, composer and electronic pioneer Jon Hassell took the sound of the trumpet and processed it to make it almost unrecognizable – breathy and otherworldly, melodic and sensual. Hassell had studied at Eastman, played with La Monte Young’s Theater of Eternal Music, played in the first recording of Terry Riley’s In C, and traveled to India with Young and Riley to study with Pandit Pran Nath (Phil Kline.) He died on June 26, 2021.
Hassell adapted the traditional Indian vocal style for the trumpet - and also used electronics, specifically the harmonizer– which made it sound like three trumpets were playing together. He pioneered a musical ethos he dubbed 'Fourth World' and together with Brian Eno, released the record, “Possible Musics,” in 1980. (Host note: "Possible Musics" was almost the name of this program when it started back in 1982.)
For this show, we celebrate the late Jon Hassell and his musical legacy by sampling his work, and some of the musicians he inspired: Norwegian trumpeters Arve Henriksen and Nils Petter Molvær, along with Norwegian tuba player, composer, and bass trumpet player Daniel Hersekdal. There’s also music by L.A.-based sax player Sam Gendel, along with a soundscape by Yorkshire born composer and producer Kirk Barley.
Listen to Hassell in collaboration with Brian Eno, and a recording Hassell did with Farafina, a music and dance group from Burkina Faso, established in 1978. Plus, listen to music from Hassell’s 2018 record, Listening to Pictures, which uses harmonizer, along with electronic sampling, loops, overdubs and distorted layers of voicings to achieve its “Fourth World aesthetic.”
Hear multi-instrumentalist Jack Wyllie of Portico Quartet and Szun Waves working under the moniker Paradise Cinema and a piece, “Possible Futures,” which calls back to the “Possible Musics” title. The work was recorded in Dakar, Senegal in collaboration with mbalax percussionists Khadim Mbaye (saba drums) and Tons Sambe (tama drums). Also, hear music by violinist Hugh Marsh, who had been living with and sharing studio space with Jon Hassell, as they were working on the 2018 release, Listening to Pictures, and more.
Additionally, thanks to Crack Magazine, read a collection of testimonials by 13 artists on Hassell’s musical legacy, including Ami Dang, members of The Comet Is Coming, Laraaji, and Felicia Atkinson. – Caryn Havlik
Revisit the wayback machine for this 2009 interview with Jon Hassell on the release of "Last night the moon came dropping its clothes in the street."
#4512, The Jon Hassell Influence (First Aired 7/07/2021)
ARTIST: Jon Hassell and Brian Eno
WORK: Delta Rain Dream [2:00]
RECORDING: Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics
SOURCE: EG #7
INFO: Amazon.com
ARTIST: Jon Hassell & Farafina
WORK: A Vampire Dances (Symmetry)[4:01]
RECORDING: Flash of the Spirit
SOURCE: Intuition/Capitol Records 91186
INFO: Out of print, but download from Amazon.com or iTunes
ARTIST: Paradise Cinema
WORK: Possible Futures [6:18]
RECORDING: Paradise Cinema
SOURCE: Gondwana Records
INFO: paradise-cinema.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Daniel Herskedal
WORK: The Mariner's Cross [3:15]
RECORDING: Harbour
SOURCE: ECM Records
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Jon Hassell
WORK: Dreaming [6:09]
RECORDING: Listening to Pictures
SOURCE: Ndeya Records
INFO: jonhassell.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Arve Henriksen
WORK: Assembly [3:56]
RECORDING: Cartography
SOURCE: ECM 2086
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Hugh Marsh
WORK: I Laid Down in the Snow [3:56]
RECORDING: Violin Vocations
SOURCE: Western Vinyl
INFO: hughmarsh.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Sam Gendel
WORK: Final Chamber [4:49]
RECORDING: Pass If Music
SOURCE: Leaving Records
INFO: leavingrecords.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Nils Petter Molvær
WORK: A Small Realm [3:21]
RECORDING: Baboon Moon
SOURCE: Thirsty Ear THI 57201
INFO: thirstyear.com
ARTIST: Kirk Barley
WORK: Bleached [3:43]
RECORDING: Landscapes
SOURCE: kirkbarley.bandcamp.com
INFO: kirkbarley.com
ARTIST: Brian Eno, ft. Jon Hassell
WORK: Shadow [2:12]
RECORDING: Ambient 4 / On Land
SOURCE: EG Records 20
INFO: Available at Amazon.com