
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