Jon Hassell - Listening To Pictures (Ndeya)

Jon Hassell made a great album. You have no idea, how I felt when I first heard it - I guess it was last year 8-). But that doesn't matter, when your first sentence in text tells you all. But on the other hand, Listening To Pictures is far, far away from anything but simple.

We will dive into it, but first little history. Jon Hassel is musician, composer and his instrument is incredible and beautiful trumpet, when it is in his hands it creates not just sounds or melodies, but atmosphere and soundscapes.
Mr. Hassell is the guy who actually brought us musical philosophy called "Fourth World", which is actually playing with ethno music from indigenious tribes and nations, but played with futuristic instruments and modern record techniques, using minimalistic approach.

That same philosophy could be heard in modern age, where with modern technology, and democratisation of music making, and releasing it.
Here is example: you can find two German teenagers, from eastern Germany trying to make ambient ethno music of jungles from Africa and South America - even they never get into the airplane, or even visit Berlin, but only of vision and knowledge of it those geographical places, and what they think it is ethno music from sub-Sahara's jungles. And there is such album, and please go listen to it.





"Fourth World" actually is metaphor from The Cold War vocabulary, as Hassell explains: "In those days, the Cold War days, there was the First World and basically the unspoken Second, which was the Soviet empire. Anything outside of those two was called Third World, and it usually meant less developed countries. And those less developed countries were places where tradition was still alive and spirituality was inherent in their musical output, for lack of a better term: Fourth World was like '3 +1.' The idea was the merging of the traditional and spiritual side from the Third World with the First World technology, using the harmonizer and that kind of thing."

So, first Fourth World record was Hassell colaboration with Brian Eno, cult LP to every pop culture music enthusiast Fourth World Vol. 1 - Possible Musics, record that literally was crossing borders, and changing paradigm of what is Ethno or later description as World Music read Peter Gabriel experiments and label, producers as Enigma, or Deep Forest, music to show how hollow you are, and also victim of consumerism!!! Fourth World Vol. 1 is still one of the records, you have to listen - before you die.

Fourth World sessions, Eno and Hassel.

Also he relesed his solo work from 1977, with classic Vernal Equinox, and others albums, worth to mention Dream Theory in Malayan. Also Hassell worked with Peter Gabriel (what did i said, but actually Gabriel experiments were good.), Ry Cooder or Talking Heads, Tears For Fears, even "drone godfather" La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela.

So this Youtube video above this text is actually an opener in Jon Hassell's Listening To Pictures. Yes, you would hear, and I really recommend this record to everyone, it is relaxing music, but as every masterpiece: there are hidden things.
If you listen this single "Dreams", there is actually nothing so special, but listen again, after every break, trumpet and other horns slightly goes off rhythm, that is kept with jazzy hi-hats and piano, and everytime, it goes more and more away from rhythm, but in the end, there is that atmospheric sound that sudenly bring it all together, and instead great crescendo, it just settle track down.
Or next track "Picnic", with glitch-y samples and atonality, there is always certain sound or sample, or chord, that suddenly bring all elements together in coherent track. So yes album is easy-listening for sure, but it is also a mine field, that only one who want to find those subtle moments - oh, you gonna find it... a lot those mines.

So, I made my mind and wrote to you dear readers, all in your face in the beginning, but also I would like to point out to the tracks like "Al Kongo Udu" or personal favorite "Her First Rain", or seducing jazz of "Manga Scene".

Jon Hassell with his Listening to Pictures, made me feel great. He is an old fox, and he can still make albums for new generations, without any compromise. Hats of, Sir!!!