Customer Reviews

Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jon Hassell, "Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In the Street" (ECM). If Jon Hassell did indeed set out several decades back to create an idiosyncratic strain of music that would fit neatly into no single category, he has by now succeeded. In a career that found him studying in both Buffalo and Rochester, traveling to India to fully digest the glorious micro-tonal intricacies of that country's music, earning both respect and scorn in the jazz community, and becoming a first-call for the more esoteric and discerning class of rock musicians, (David Sylvian, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno), Hassell has played by no one's rules but his own. If that meant delving into ambient sounds, or treating his trumpet to a lavish buffet of effects devices, or attempting to phrase his solos like an Indian Kiranic singer, well, then so be it. With "Last Night the Moon Came dropping Its Clothes In the Street," Hassell and his band, Maarifa Street, delve into a protean, constantly morphing melange of sound. Far from formless and nowhere near "new age," the group weaves a dreamy tapestry of sound assimilating African, Indian and American forms, all presented with a serial composer's conception of time and space. Hassell in fact studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen and the late Stockhausen's tendency to create scenarios of "controlled randomness" in his pieces hangs above Hassell and company's efforts here. This is beautiful, evocative, often transcendent music, but most importantly, it's also substantive; though he's been accused of merely doodling in the dippy ooze of new age music, Hassell is in fact a radical who can be seen to have carried on the work started by Miles Davis with the albums "In a Silent Way" and "On the Corner," with much more of an emphasis on the European influences than the African- American ones. You get as much out of "Last Night the Moon Came" as you put into the listening experience. It is, as the saying goes, a real trip. (Jeff Miers)

I've been listening to Jon Hassell since the mid eighties and I think I have almost every CD he's blessed us with. I'll buy any new Hassell CD w/o hesitation as I did in this case and this one is a gem... It's been a while since he produced anything of this richness. All the classic Hassell trademark ambiance is here: the introspective smoky twilight atmospherics and fourth world textures... So, Hassell fans, don't hesitate this one delivers the goods and for those not familiar with Jon's music... take the leap and be prepared for a real musical adventure. THANK YOU MR. HASSELL!

Jon Hassell is one of a small handful of artists whose CDs I buy on the day they are released, without fail. Among the least strong of these CDs are those that have too little focus or nothing new to offer his fans. This new CD is perhaps the best ever and is certainly the best since 1986's Eno/Lanois-produced "Power Spot." As always, this whole record sounds like nothing else you've ever heard by anyone else and, in particular, the sound of Jon Hassell's trumpet is electronically processed, paradoxically, into sounding as natural and organic and soulful as one could hope for. He plays with remarkable restraint and there's not a touch of self-consciousness of the kind that often dogs experimental and "new" music. This is a terrific record by a master. I pray that he's a healthy 71-year-old because we need more from this astounding musician.

This not driving music. This is for listening when you need to reflect upon aspects of your life. It is similar to Jonn Serie's sounds, but a little less spacy. It vaguely reminds me of Miles Davis during his fusion era, i.e. Bitches Brew, though it isn't as jazzy. I never heard sounds like these coming from a trumpet. Listen to this if you are contemplating your life's decisions. Excellent piece of work.

I've heard samples of Jon Hassel's work before, and was always intrigued, just not enough to buy something of his--until now. I'm glad I did. "Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street" is spacial and cinematic, never boring, perfect to play as background to a stimulating discussion or writing assignment, a meditation session, even to play at low volume while you fall asleep. Great mood music, imaginative, it will create movie scenes in your mind of some forgotten surrealistic noir.

What can I say ? This album, is the best since Powerspot... the whole atmosphere it creates, can take you to very distant and beautiful places !
In the RIGHT company, it works wonders... thanks, Jon, for the most inspired, inspiring and 'unsurpassable' piece of work.

I got this from Amazon yesterday and have listened to it several times - in fact, I'm listening to it as I write. Jon Hassell is a rare artist who speaks with a voice entirely his own. I first became aware of him in the early 80s through his groundbreaking albums with Brian Eno. On hearing Power Spot, I became fully convinced that Hassell is an innovator of the first rank. It's a pity that he isn't more widely known. I think many more people would enjoy his music if only they could hear it. This new CD is a very worthy addition to Hassell's exceptional catalogue, reminding this listener of Surgeon of the Nightsky. Like that album, this one is very relaxed and languid in feel and wonderfully atmospheric.

Highly recommended as with all of Jon Hassell's work.

Released last February, this ECM recording from the somewhat veiled yet influential trumpet player Jon Hassell is his first for the label in more than 20 years. In the meantime he released a number of albums for other labels, steadily giving more and more definition to the style of music he describes as "Fourth World". He coined this term as early as 1980 (hear Fourth World: Possible Musics with Brian Eno from that year) to refer to music which combines jazz improvisation, futuristic electronics, atmospheric ambience, and ethnic influences.

Fans of the Norwegian free improvisation troup Supersilent will immediately draw comparisons between Hassell's airy, floating trumpet tone and that of Arve Henriksen. Besides having both recorded for ECM, and sharing a delicateness of tone and penchant for thoughtful improvisation, the two are linked further by mutual involvement with Jan Bang, who controls the electronic samples on this album. However, the atmosphere of Last Night The Moon Came... is distinct from anything Arve Henriksen has had a hand in. The opening track "Aurora", a wash of electronic textures over a minimal bass ostinato, with almost no melody, sounds closer to releases on 12k Records or Hearts in Space than any I've heard on ECM or Rune Grammofon. It's a beautiful commencement to the album, and one that gives the listener no sense at all of how many musicians are involved. Besides Hassell and Bang, we have Rick Cox and Eivind Aarset on guitars, Peter Freeman on bass and a laptop, Jamie Muhoberac on keyboards and a laptop, Kheir Eddine M Kachiche on violin, and drummers Helge Andreas Norbakken and Pete Lockett.

Despite the size of the lineup and richness of instrumentation, the music throughout this album is almost always highly subdued and sparse in texture. There are no crescendoes or sudden changes in direction anywhere, there are no choruses, the songs plod along at a mostly uniform tempo (very slow), and most of the melodic content is fairly unmemorable. These statements are not meant to detract from the quality of the album, however; only to demonstrate that it is far from a typical ECM release, and instead lives in a world of Hassell's own, dominated by meanderings through quasicomposed mires of sound. At times, like on the very short but supremely effective interlude "Clairvoyance", the result is devastatingly beautiful. On the other hand, another even shorter interlude, "Scintilla", features a lovely violin gesture but isn't given the opportunity to do much else, and its inclusion almost feels superfluous. For different reasons, one wishes both of these tracks were more fleshed out.

The meat of the album is found in the longer tracks, two of which go past the ten minute mark. The Fender Rhodes in "Abu Gil" makes the track reminiscent of Miles Davis' In A Silent Way, but with a stronger Indian influence and much more ambience. The outstanding title track is halfway between a moody Steve Roach drone and an organic chamber improv, with Hassell's overdubbed trumpet producing warm harmonies over the most minimal of beats, joined by violin flourishes and low-key electronic sound effects.

If there are any serious criticisms to make about this album, it's only that the last quarter of it begins to feel redundant. No individual track is weak in terms of musicianship, but the listener paying close attention may tire of the overall sound and mood of the album, which is for the most part dreary and listless, before it's finished. This could have been remedied by replacing the last tracks with some more dynamic and explorative ones, but that would have taken away from the purity of the whole. For providing a unique aura anywhere it's played, the album is perfect as it is. Jon Hassell's "Fourth World" vision, refined over decades, has culminated in a remarkable release, and what he does next is anybody's guess, though it's sure to be of interest.

I stumbled upon this new release when searching the web for Hassell updates. I immediately downloaded it and can't possibly express how grateful I am to have yet another great work by this master. I own all his prior works. In additon, I consider myself a serious audiophile. No other artist in my vast collection has more introspective, visceral and moving compositions. If you must pick one of his albums, this would be a great start. Enjoy. Peace.

the new jon hassell feels like "The Surgeon of the Nightsky" revisited for a new century. that earlier cd has been my favorite of his, this new one surpasses even that (or at least, has a greater depth and clarity).

some of the most beautiful music i've heard since 'vespertine' by bjork.

essential listening, great late-at-night. am recommending this to everyone i know.