Jon Hassell’s First Posthumous Album to Arrive This Fall

Ndeya, the record label established by the late Jon Hassell, plans to release the composer’s last album this fall, marking the first new music since his passing in 2021. The album, titled Music Is Invisible (Pentimento Volume Three), is scheduled for an October 2 release and will conclude the trilogy that began with 2018's Listening to Pictures and continued with 2020's Seeing Through Sound.

Music Is Invisible was recorded during Hassell’s final live performance, which took place on May 23, 2015, at St John at Hackney Church in London. The album features Hassell playing alongside Rick Cox and John von Seggern as a trio. This live moment captures the closing chapter of Hassell’s extensive career in avant-garde composition.

The record contains four tracks that blend semi-improvised elements, crafted from themes and motifs also present in Hassell's preceding two albums in the Pentimento series. Jeff Rona took on the task of editing and mixing the audio, enhancing it beyond a typical live recording approach to create a refined listening experience.

Musically, the Pentimento series is described as evolving around the concept of pentimento, a term from painting that refers to earlier images becoming visible beneath new layers. Hassell applied this methodology musically, revisiting and transforming his ideas over time, which is evident throughout this final volume.

Jon Hassell passed away on June 26, 2021, at the age of 84, due to natural causes after a period of health challenges. He was widely respected not only for his compositions but also for his influence in inventing the “Fourth World” musical aesthetic, a style that fuses traditional ethnic elements with modern electronic sounds.

The legacy of Hassell’s pioneering work in ambient and experimental music remains influential, with his 1977 album Vernal Equinox cited among the best ambient records ever produced. Music Is Invisible further enriches this legacy by showcasing the culmination of his late-career explorations.

While the album release confirms the preservation and continuation of Hassell’s artistic vision posthumously, details concerning any further archival projects or unreleased materials remain unconfirmed. The nature of the recording as a live performance offers a unique insight into Hassell’s improvisational approach during his final years.

This posthumous release is significant for fans and scholars as it finalizes a cohesive trilogy that charts Hassell’s evolving sound and compositional ideas over the last several years of his life. It also underscores the role of live performance recordings as vital documents in understanding an artist’s practice beyond studio albums.

Looking ahead, the album’s reception might influence the music industry’s approach to handling and marketing posthumous works in experimental genres. It stands as a testament to Hassell’s lasting impact and could encourage further interest in live archival releases within avant-garde circles.

Despite the absence of touring possibilities following Hassell’s death, this album offers a form of continuation for his audience and preserves the spirit of live collaboration that defined his later career. The collaborative nature of the recording highlights the communal aspect of his musical philosophy.

In sum, Music Is Invisible (Pentimento Volume Three) acts as both a capstone to Jon Hassell’s final creative phase and a posthumous celebration of his artistic innovations. Its release not only honors his contribution to contemporary music but also invites renewed engagement with his body of work.

For listeners and the ambient music community, this album represents both an ending and a continuation, preserving the subtle, boundary-pushing soundscape that Jon Hassell championed throughout his life.