Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell | |
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Editions EG, Intuition, Water Lily Acoustics, Lovely Music, All Saints, Ndeya | |
Website | jonhassell |
Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937[1] – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various world ethnic traditions with modern electronic techniques.[1] The concept was first articulated on Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics, his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno.
Born in Tennessee, Hassell studied contemporary
Life and career
Born in
On his return to Buffalo in the early 1970s, Hassell was introduced to the music of Indian Pandit Pran Nath, a specialist in the Kiranic style of singing. Hassell, Young, Marian Zazeela, and Riley went together to India to study with Nath. His work with Nath awoke his appetite for traditional musics of the world, and on the album Vernal Equinox, he used his trumpet (treated with various electronic effects) to imitate the vocal techniques to which Nath had exposed him. He stated:
- "From 1973 up until then I was totally immersed in playing raga on the trumpet. I wanted the physical dexterity to be able to come into a room and be able to do something that nobody else in the world could do. My aim was to make a music that was vertically integrated in such a way that at any cross-sectional moment you were not able to pick a single element out as being from a particular country or genre of music."[2]
In 1980, he collaborated with
Hassell died from natural causes on June 26, 2021, at the age of 84.[4][5] He had had health issues over the course of the previous year.[6]
Style
Hassell coined the term "Fourth World" to describe his work on "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques."
Discography
- As leader or co-leader
- Vernal Equinox (Lovely Music, 1977)
- Earthquake Island (Tomato 1978)
- Editions EG, 1980), with Brian Eno
- Dream Theory in Malaya: Fourth World Volume Two (Editions EG, 1981)
- Aka/Darbari/Java: Magic Realism (Editions EG, 1983)
- Power Spot (ECM, 1986)
- The Surgeon of the Nightsky Restores Dead Things by the Power of Sound (Intuition, 1987), live recordings
- EMI Electrola, 1988), with Farafina
- City: Works of Fiction (Opal/Warner Bros., 1990; expanded edition on All Saints, 2014)
- Dressing for Pleasure (Warner, 1994), with Bluescreen
- Sulla Strada (Materiali Sonori, 1995), with I Magazzini
- The Vertical Collection (Sketches) (Earshot, 1997), with Peter Freeman as Bluescreen Project
- Fascinoma (Water Lily Acoustics, 1999)
- Hollow Bamboo (Water Lily Acoustics, 2000), with Ry Cooder, Ronu Majumdar and Abhijit Banerjee
- Maarifa Street: Magic Realism Volume Two (Label Bleu, 2005)
- Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street (ECM, 2009)
- Listening to Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) (Ndeya, 2018)
- Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two) (Ndeya, 2020)
- Single tracks on compilations and remixes
- "Map of Dusk" on compilation Myths 3: La nouvelle serenité (J.A. Deane
- "Pygmy Dance" on compilation Ai Confini / Interzone (New Tone, 1993),[10] recorded live in Italy 1988
- "Streetfaxx" and remixes by 808 State on EP Voiceprint (Blind from the Facts) (Opal, 1990; reissued on All Saints, 1993 and 2006)[11]
- Personals, maxi-single with remixes of "Personals" and "G-Spot" by MC 900 Ft Jesus and Organized Konfusion(Warner, 1994)
- "Then and Now (Berchidda)" on compilation Then and Now (Time in Jazz 1998 | 2007) (Tàjrà It., 2008), live recording from 2001 in Italy with John Beasley, Rick Cox
- As sideman and guest appearances
On almost all recordings Jon Hassell played trumpet (sometimes merely 'used' as sound color). In cases where he plays keyboards or electronics it is mentioned in the last column; the same applies to the credits as composer (or producer).
Film soundtracks are labeled "O.S.T." (original sound track) preceding the film title. Artists and labels are linked by first appearance only.
Date | Leading artist or band | Album title | Label | Track titles and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | Terry Riley | In C [12] | Columbia | ensemble member |
1974 | Francesco Guccini | Stanze di vita quotidiana [13] | Columbia | ensemble member |
1974 | La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela | Dream House 78' 17" [14] |
Shandar | ensemble member (quartet) on one of two extensive tracks |
1980 | Talking Heads | Remain in Light | Sire | on "Houses in Motion" |
1982 | Brian Eno | Ambient 4: On Land | Editions EG |
on "Shadow" |
1984 | David Sylvian | Brilliant Trees | Virgin | on "Weathered Wall" and "Brilliant Trees", co-composer |
1985 | David Sylvian | Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities | Virgin | on "Words with the Shaman Part 1–3", co-composer; also released as EP |
1985 | Peter Gabriel | O.S.T. Birdy | Virgin/Charisma | ensemble member |
1987 | Lloyd Cole and the Commotions | Mainstream | Polydor | on "Big Snake" |
1989 | Alice | Il sole nella pioggia | EMI | on "Il sole nella pioggia" and "Le baccanti", pre-sampled trumpet sounds activated by keyboard on "Visioni" |
1989 | Peter Gabriel | O.S.T. Passion (Music for The Last Temptation of Christ) | Real World/Geffen/Virgin | on "Passion" |
1989 | Tears for Fears | The Seeds of Love | Fontana | on "Standing on the Corner of the Third World" and "Famous Last Words" |
1991 | Marc Beacco | The Crocodile Smile [15] | Polydor/Nova | on "Funeral for a Flower", co-composer |
1991 | Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses avec Hector Zazou | Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses avec Hector Zazou [16] | Phonogram |
on "Anima", "In la piazza" and "Notte", co-composer |
1993 | Ry Cooder | O.S.T. Trespass [17] | Sire/Warner | ensemble with Jim Keltner |
1994 | Stina Nordenstam | And She Closed Her Eyes | Telegram/East West | on "Crime" and "I See You Again" |
1995 | Techno Animal | Re-Entry | Virgin | on "Flight of the Hermaphrodite" and "Needle Park", co-composer |
1996 | David Toop | Pink Noir [18] | Virgin | on "Slow Loris Versus Poison Snail", co-composer |
1997 | Jackson Browne | The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne | Elektra | on "The Next Voice You Hear" produced by T-Bone Burnett
|
1997 | k.d. lang | Drag | Warner | on "Hain't It Funny?" |
1997 | Holly Cole | Dark Dear Heart | Alert | on "All the Pretty Little Horses" |
1997 | Ry Cooder | O.S.T. The End of Violence | Outpost | featured trumpet soloist |
1998 | Ry Cooder | O.S.T. Primary Colors |
Outpost | on "Wide Sky", co-composer |
1998 | The Insects & Richard Grassby-Lewis featuring Jon Hassell | O.S.T. Love and Death on Long Island | OceanDeep | featured soloist |
1998 | Mandalay | Empathy | V2 | on "It's Enough Now", "This Time Last Year" and "Beautiful" |
1998 | Ani DiFranco | Little Plastic Castle | Righteous Babe | on (probably one track) |
1999 | Guy Sigsworth | O.S.T. G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time | Island | on "Who Would You Have Me Love" with Hinda Hicks |
1999 | David Toop | Hot Pants Idol [19] | Barooni (Nl) | on "Wing Beats", trumpet and harmonizer , co-composer
|
2000 | Hal Willner | O.S.T. The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture | Interscope | on "Never Let Me Go" and "Amsterdam Blue (Cortege)", co-composer and track production |
2000 | k.d. lang | Invincible Summer | Warner | on "Simple" |
2000 | Mandalay | Instinct | V2 | on "Not Seventeen", "Don't Invent Me" and "It's Enough Now" |
2000 | Nick Wood | Sound Virus [20] | Victor (Jp) |
on "Confined to Ice" |
2001 | Ani DiFranco | Revelling/Reckoning | Righteous Babe | on "Revelling" |
2001 | Howie B. |
Folk. | Polydor | on "Tap Dancer", co-composer |
2001 | Rick Cox | Maria Falling Away [21] | Cold Blue | on "Long Distance", composer |
2002 | Frou Frou | Details | Island | on "Flicks", "The Dumbing Down of Love" and "Old Piano" |
2003 | Ibrahim Ferrer | Buenos Hermanos | World Circuit/Nonesuch | on "Fuiste Cruel" and "Boliviana"; album produced by Ry Cooder |
2004 | Lightwave (with Paul Haslinger) | Bleue comme une orange [22] | Signature | on "Huang/Hong" and "Deep Steel Dubh" |
2004 | Alexkid | Mint [23] | PIAS |
on "Mint", co-composer |
2005 | Paul Haslinger | O.S.T. Sleeper Cell (TV series) | Rhythmbank | on "Memento Mori" with Sussan Deyhim, co-composer |
2005 | Ry Cooder | Chávez Ravine | Nonesuch/Perro Verde | on "Don't Call Me Red" |
2006 | Hadouk Trio |
Utopies [24] | Naïve | on last three tracks, co-composer |
2007 | Paul Haslinger | O.S.T. Sleeper Cell: American Terror |
Lakeshore |
(not specified) |
2007 | Ry Cooder | My Name Is Buddy | Nonesuch/Perro Verde | on "One Cat, One Vote, One Beer" |
2007 | Harry Gregson-Williams | O.S.T. The Number 23 | New Line | featured as soloist |
2007 | Michael Fahres | The Tubes [25] | Cold Blue | on "The Tubes (1994/2003)" with Mark Atkins |
2008 | Jan Bang and Erik Honoré as Punkt | Live Remixes Vol. 1 | Jazzland | on tracks "III" and "VI", co-composer |
2008 | Ani DiFranco | Red Letter Year | Righteous Babe | on "Star Matter" |
2008 | k.d. lang | Watershed | Nonesuch | on "Upstream" |
2008 | Ry Cooder | I, Flathead | Nonesuch/Perro Verde | on "Flathead One More Time" |
2009 | Jon Balke & Amina Alaoui | Siwan | ECM | ensemble member, trumpet and electronics |
2010 | Jan Bang | …And Poppies from Kandahar | Samadhisound |
on "Exile from Paradise", co-composer (also for another track, due to trumpet samples) |
2011 | Paul Haslinger | O.S.T Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | Lakeshore | featured musician |
2015 | Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba |
Ba Power | Glitterbeat (G) | on "Ayé Sira Bla = Make Way" |
2015 | Duncan Sheik | Legerdemain | Kobalt | on "Brutalized" and "No Happy End" |
2016 | Genre Peak (Martin Birke) | Your Sleekest Engine | Gonzo | on "Metanoia", trumpet samples and/or sampler |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ankeny, Jason. "Jon Hassell". AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ Prendergast, Mark J. "Sound on Sound". Jonhassell.com. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- OCLC 972429558.
- ^ Pescovitz, David (2021-06-27). "Jon Hassell, pioneering electronic musician, RIP". Boing Boing. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "JON HASSELL, SONIC EXPLORER". Vinyl Connection. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (26 June 2021). "Jon Hassell, Influential Avant-Garde Composer, Dies at 84". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Gilbert, Mark. L. Macy (ed.). "Jon Hassell". Grove Music Online. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Jon Pareles, "Jon Hassell with Trumpet and Electronics," New York Times September 21, 1989: p. C15, ProQuest Platinum, Online (November 6, 2007).
- ^ Myths 3: La nouvelle serenité) at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Ai Confini / Interzone) at Discogs
- ^ Voiceprint (Blind from the Facts) at Discogs
- ^ In C at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Stanze di vita quotidiana at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Dream House 78' 17" at Discogs
- ^ The Crocodile Smile at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses avec Hector Zazou at Discogs
- ^ Trespass (Original Motion Picture Score) at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Pink Noir at Discogs
- ^ Hot Pants Idol at Discogs
- ^ Sound Virus at Discogs
- ^ Maria Falling Away at Discogs
- ^ Bleue comme une orange at Discogs
- ^ Mint at Discogs
- ^ Utopies at Discogs
- ^ The Tubes at Discogs
Bibliography
- Mark Prendergast, The Ambient Century. New York and London, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2000, ISBN 978-0747557326
- Jon Hassell, program notes from Vernal Equinox. Lovely Music, LML 1021, 1977.
External links
- Official website
- Magic Realism, Vol. 2: Maarifa Street album site
- Jon Hassell discography at Discogs
- Jon Hassell at IMDb