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.
Member of
Discography
Albums
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Vernal Equinox Apple Music
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Earthquake Island Apple Music
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Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics
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Fourth World, Volume 2: Dream Theory in Malaya
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Aka / Darbari / Java: Magic Realism
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Power Spot Apple Music
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The Surgeon of the Nightsky Restores Dead Things by the Power of Sound Apple Music
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Flash of the Spirit
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City: Works of Fiction Apple Music
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Dressing for Pleasure
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Sulla strada Apple Music
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Bluescreen Project: The Vertical Collection (Sketches)
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Fascinoma
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Hollow Bamboo
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Owning Mahowny / Flames of Passion
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Maarifa Street (Magic Realism 2) Apple Music
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Live Remixes Vol. 1
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Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street Apple Music
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Listening to Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) Apple Music
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Truancy Volume 53: Maxmillion Dunbar
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Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two) Apple Music
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Further Fictions
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Music Is Invisible (Pentimento Volume Three) Apple Music
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Psychogeography Apple Music
Compilations
Links
Official
Concerts
Buy
Married
Also known as
Jon Hassel · Jon Marshall Hassell
Tags
- chamber jazz
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 0ac4fff0-03e9-4b0d-977b-ba94fb475030
- ISNI
- 0000000078398443
- IPI
- 00038084677
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 14 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.