Maarifa Street: Magic Realism, Vol. 2

Jon Hassell (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 17, 2005)
• Original Release Date: May 17, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nyen
• ASIN: B0007N4J84
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,030 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In an era of world fusions and unlikely global collaborations, Jon Hassell continues reformulating the alchemy of his Fourth World music in fascinating and original ways. Maarifa Street is his first electric album in some time, and it's a deliriously seductive brew of Miles Davis-meets-dub stuttered through sampled groove fractures. Drawn from live recordings made over the last few years, the album illustrates Hassell's gift for carving soundscapes in real time, laying his breathy, harmonized trumpet lines across an interior panorama of ambient voodoo jazz. Playing mostly with guitar mutant Rick Cox over deep dub bass lines from Peter Freeman, Hassell's music is fractal in its constant reinvention. The deeper you go, the more varied it becomes, as self-similar patterns are spun and shaped into ever more complex designs. Tunisian singer Dhafer Youssef adds his desert cries to Hassell's verdant mix on tracks like "Divine S.O.S." and "Open Secret." Although Maarifa Street's source material is live, the sound is studio-designed, with performances mixed, matched, and collaged in a fashion not unlike the cover by Abdul Mati Klarwein (who did Santana's Abraxas and Miles Davis's Bitches Brew). With an extreme stereo mix, instruments appear, shift, morph, and swirl, as if on a slo-mo carousel plopped into a global bazaar of the imagination. The subtitle of the album is Magic Realism 2, marking it as a sequel to Aka-Darbari-Java, Hassell's 1983 album of mosaic-like designs. But Maarifa Street is easier to grab onto, and the throbbing bass, programmed pulse fragments, and his innately melodic trumpet carry you through this strange world. --John Diliberto

Product Description

Fourth World innovator Jon Hassell, in his first record since the 1999 audiophile classic, "Fascinoma" (which was produced by Ry Cooder), transforms three live concerts (Montreal, Milan, Paris) into an atmospheric masterwork - "Maarifa Street" ("maarifa" means "knowledge/wisdom" in Arabic). Hassell extends the Miles Davis-Gil Evans ambience into a setting where all the musics of the world meet, but instead of "world music," think "worldly music" - a sophisticated musical utopia, an urban neighborhood where families of many colors are welcomed: "Sketches of Spain", Indian raga, rippling electronica, North African vocal arabesques, "dub" reggae, minimalist "trance", just to name a few. (In a calculated understatement, Hassell collaborator Brian Eno said, "this sounds like really modern music.")

In the title track, Hassell's unmistakable trumpet voice, multiplied digitally, sings a seductive (and ancient) melodic refrain, floating over a sea of microtronica detail and ambient sheepbells, anchored by a deep, throbbing dub bass - all creating a sonic picture like a scene from a "magic realism" novel. This theme of surreal fantasy is superbly illustrated in the amazing painting by Mati Klarwein ("Bitches Brew", "Abraxas") - a special surprise which awaits discovery on the inside of the package.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jon Hassell - Cultural Treasure, September 15, 2005

By	C. Douglas Craft "Artist and Scientist" (Lakewood, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a fan of Jon Hassell since the 70s and think he is one of the most creative musical voices our country has produced. He plays trumpet - but in a trance-inducing style that combines elements of Indian classical music, third-world percussion, electronic signal processing, and looping - to create a totally unique style. This music is for anyone who loves creative and unique music that is well crafted and contemplative. However, if you prefer pop or vocal music, this album is probably not your cup of tea.

I love this album and have listened to it many times - so it has "legs" and bears repeated listening - like all of Hassell's catalog. It has similarities to his previous work with Bluescreen, "Dressing for Pleasure" and his earlier trance and magic realism albums. I think it ranks with Hassell's best work and represents an interesting approach that augments and morphs live performances into new compositions. If you are looking for a creative music that touches the soul, you should definitely give Jon Hassell a listen.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Looking Back..., October 10, 2005

By	P. King (Montclair, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a way to mix the new and newer-not a retrospective, but it could certainly serve as such. Perhaps also a way to introduce Jon Hassell to the unititiated. As can be said of all his work, Maarifa Street: Magic Realism, Vol. 2 is highly recommended.
After 30 years and just a handful of recordings, this man is a giant of modern music and still a secret at the same time. Unless one hears a soundtrack or some theme music, his sound never reaches the ears of the greater public. One wonders why he has spawned no other composers or bands who are directly influenced by his work. Perhaps it is time...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best but unique sound, August 28, 2005

By	Marco Bortoletto (Italy) - See all my reviews

In his long career Hassell has created a very personal sound, not only with his trumpet but with all his ensembles that he bring in the direction he likes. Maybe this is not one of his best CD but in few seconds you can easily recognize his music that is different from any other musician. While other similar artists like Eno are making musical flops (listen to Another Day...) Hassell continues his artistic journey with no compromises and we are grateful to him.