4.0 out of 5 stars
A '95 recording of an '82 soundtrack, December 15, 2010
This recording is Jon Hassell's music for the Italian stage production of "Sulla strada," based on the work of Jack Kerouac. (Note: the stage play may have been Kerouac-based, but Hassell's themes here don't seem to have much to do with On The Road or other Kerouac.) This hour of music continues Jon's exploration of "Fourth World" ideas, often with tribal rhythms supporting digitally altered sound-scapes performed on synthesizers and Hassell's processed trumpet notes. At times the themes are too minimalist and/or repetitive, such as on "Temperature Variabili," which is essentially just seven minutes of one percussion line with a repeated, swirling tribal chant effect and echoing electric guitar tones (from Michael Brook) injected every few bars. Even those minimalist passages, though, never fail to be hypnotic and off-putting. The album's highlight is the 22-minute "Tramonto," which contains all the elements of classic Jon Hassell -- the distorted trumpet sounding very alien against an eerie synth backdrop. All in all, Sulla Strada is a worthwhile addition to the Fourth World canon, while never quite reaching the peak of something like Surgeon of the Nightsky.
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