Jon Hassell & Maarifa Street // Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin

Jon Hassell & Maarifa Street

For more than three decades Jon Hassell has been demonstrating his versatility in music: jazz, new age, ambient and contemporary music is all part of his repertoire. Having studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen the trumpeter has been working with La Monte Young and Terry Riley before embarking on the music of India and playing with Brian Eno, David Sylvian and the Talking Heads. Since the mid-eighties his endeavours also include African music (JFB ‘88 with Farafina / Burkina Faso) and hiphop his manifold activities culminating in his current band Maarifa Street.

Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin

With stoic ease and Buddhist equanimity Swiss pianist Nik Bärtsch and his band Ronin drift through mellow, meditative streams of acoustic piano jazz. Comparisons with Chick Corea in his early days and the mature Steve Reich are appropriate, as documented on their debut album Stoa (ECM). Bärtsch’s affinity to cartoon aesthetics and Asian martial arts are reflected in his precise style, merging classical music, jazz, hip-hop and ambient in a very unique way.