Jon Hassell

Person · Male

Jon Hassell

American trumpet player and composer

From
Memphis, United States
Active
1937–2021
Releases
32
  • acid jazz
  • ambient
  • jazz
  • tribal ambient

About

Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various world ethnic traditions with modern electronic techniques. The concept was first articulated on Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics, his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno.

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Born in Tennessee, Hassell studied contemporary classical music in New York and later in Germany under composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. He subsequently worked with minimalist composers Terry Riley (on a 1968 recording of In C) and La Monte Young (as part of his Theatre of Eternal Music group), and studied under Hindustani singer Pandit Pran Nath. His association with Brian Eno in the early 1980s would introduce Hassell to a larger audience. He subsequently worked with musical artists such as Talking Heads, David Sylvian, Farafina, Peter Gabriel, Tears for Fears, Ani DiFranco, Techno Animal, Ry Cooder, Moritz von Oswald, and Carl Craig.

From Jon Hassell on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Member of

Discography

Albums 24
Singles 2
Live 1
Compilations 2
Other 3

Links

Married

Also known as

Jon Hassel · Jon Marshall Hassell

Tags

  • chamber jazz

Identifiers

ISNI
0000000078398443
IPI
00038084677

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 14 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.