The trumpeter and composer Jon Hassell, one of the most influential innovators and inspirers of new musical styles and techniques, has died at the age of 84. In the region, his grandiose Enjoy Jazz concert in 2006 at the Alte Feuerwache will be remembered above all. With his electrification, Hassell not only significantly expanded the sound of the trumpet and thus opened doors for musicians like Nils Petter Molvaer. With his microtonal sound design, known as the "Fourth World", he found a completely unique way of playing in which, aesthetically condensed through electronic forms of expression, the sensuality of human intuition is ideally reflected. He was also a significant midwife for ambient and world music. Nothing makes his outsized importance clearer than the list of musicians with whom the Stockhausen student has worked, including Terry Riley, Brian Eno, Moritz von Oswald, David Sylvian, Ry Cooder, Jan Bang, Nana Vasconcelos, Peter Gabriel or Bill Laswell. Like so many jazz musicians before him, he was no longer able to pay for his own treatment in the land of once unlimited possibilities. A good year ago, his family had to appeal for donations with the support of companions like Brian Eno. Hassell passed away on 26 June 2021. His pioneering energy will not only be missed by jazz.
Date: June 27, 2021