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Power Spots: 13 Artists On The Inspiration Of Jon Hassell
Patrick Clarke , September 16th, 2020 10:26

From Katie Gately to Wacław Zimpel, Abul Mogard to Sarah Davachi, we asked 13 of our favourite musicians to pick a work by the great Jon Hassell, and to tell us what it means to them

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Wacław Zimpel on ‘Nature Boy’ from Fascinoma (1999)

When I think of Jon Hassell, I first hear the sound of his trumpet, which contains everything I love about music. Each note of his, a bit like a fractal, contains all his work.

I love all his music, but if I had to choose one recording, it would be ‘Nature Boy’ from the Fascinoma album produced by Ry Cooder. I guess there is nothing more touching than to hear an artist, who has visited and understood probably all musical worlds, in a simple melody. The sound of his trumpet with all the air and softness has always been like a flute to me. So the counterpoint of the flute in the second part of the theme seems to me to be a great idea.

This take on ‘Nature Boy’ is also especially important to me, because it is thanks to this song that I got to know Hassell's music. I heard it in the early 2000s in a film I don't remember at all, but the music stayed with me and became a gateway to the fascinating world of Jon Hassell.

Picture: Laila Cohen