To consider Jon Hassell’s career to date is like the Pentimento of the title; a layering of ideas that slowly emerges to create something different to the earlier form it started from. Structurally, his work is not too dissimilar to that of painting, so each new listen reveals something fresh about the performance, much in the same way that new essences can be discovered when you study a picture.
“Fearless” begins with electronic swirls and an angular guitar sound played by Rick Cox and Eivind Aarset. A pulsing rhythm comes from underneath, which is strolled over by John Von Seggern’s walking bass line. Hassell’s echoed trumpet calls quietly from the trees in the background, as orchestral and electronic stabs permeate over the top. It’s like traversing an empty southern Italian town in the heat of midsummer; it feels melancholic with a hint of the unknown about it and uneasy synth chords build and sweep across the track as it comes to its end. Restful trumpet sounds open “Moons Of Titan”, swirling in a mass of reverb around your head as electronic textures sweep beneath. These are punctuated sometimes by a rolling bass rhythm that adds to the track’s otherworldliness. It’s a beautiful piece with an understated performance when the trumpet is pitched perfectly over the wash of keyboards beneath.
“Unknown Wish” begins with sampled percussion and heavy keyboard chords, some of which sound like human voices. Hassell’s trumpet has a dense jungle sound that seems to call from between the trees or echoes around the walls of temple. The atmosphere this creates is quite stunning and hangs heavy in the air after the track has finished. “Delicado” starts off sounding a little like more traditional jazz with its guitar and cascading piano sampled chords; the trumpet has a very laid back feel and reminds you of smoky nightclub locations from the past. There is still that hovering ambience that languishes all over Jon’s work that sets it apart from any traditional forms that the music may hint at. Side two starts with “Reykavik” and the sound of instruments falling over each other in a congested space. Hassell’s keyboard work dominates proceedings as Jan Bang’s samples and Peter Freeman’s bass haunt the realms in between. “Cool Down Coda” is a short percussion-heavy piece that is almost entirely created with electronics, a short-breath number that disappears into the aether as soon as it arrives.“Lunar” has a cosmic-sounding ambience which chordal harmonics jitter about over the top of and feels as if it could be the soundtrack to images of NASA’s moon landing footage of the late sixties. There is a disquieting sense about it that conjures up the feeling of the barren landscape. Hassell’s trumpet busily scatters around over pulsating electronics as some hang in the air, conjuring up the blackness of outer space in an atonal lullaby to the great cosmos that is quite beautiful.
“Timeless” is the longest track on the album, clocking it at eight minutes, where Adam Rudolph’s African drums take centre stage over Hassell’s sweeping electronics. Hugh Marsh’s violin and orchestration add a depth and a cinematic quality to proceedings as it builds slowly. The track flows like summer rain and almost trickles through the speakers as its throb gently transports you elsewhere. Conjuring up these atmospheres is what Hassell does best — he takes you to other places and guides you through new scenarios seamlessly, so it almost feels part of your own natural environment.
-Gary Parsons-
