Hasselt (album)

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = All About Jazz

| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/evan-parker-electroacoustic-ensemble-hasselt-by-john-eyles |title=Evan Parker Electroacoustic Ensemble: Hasselt |first=John |last=Eyles |date=August 23, 2012 |website=All About Jazz |access-date=June 23, 2024}}

| rev2 = The Free Jazz Collective

| rev2Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.freejazzblog.org/2012/10/evan-parkers-electro-acoustic-ensemble.html |title=Evan Parker's Electroacoustic Ensemble: Hasselt |first=Martin |last=Schray |date=October 20, 2012 |website=The Free Jazz Collective |access-date=June 23, 2024}}

}}

In a review for All About Jazz, John Eyles called the album "a valuable addition to the discography" of the group, and wrote: "the small groups throw together combinations of instruments and sounds that are fresh and stimulating... in "Hasselt 4"... so much processing takes place that it becomes impossible to tell the original from its image from the image of its image and so on. But, that blurring is the joy of this ensemble... as it creates a shimmering kaleidoscopic effect that is as mesmerising here as ever."

The New York City Jazz Record's Andrey Henkin suggested that Parker's "lengthy, circular-breathing based excursions often took on an almost electronic quality," perhaps inspiring him to found the Electroacoustic Ensemble, and noted: "The music has a suite-like quality across the first three tracks, the acoustic instruments seizing greater control against the tasteful electronics. The fourth piece... is necessarily denser and episodic as musicians float or stab their way in or out, with the electronic and acoustic elements in more balance."{{cite magazine |last=Henkin |first=Andrey |date=September 2013 |title=Reviews |magazine=The New York City Jazz Record |pages=21 |url=http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/issues/tnycjr201309.pdf}}

Ken Waxman of JazzWord described the album as "a gratifying listen," stating: "this disc is notable historically, showing how the philosophies of pure electronics and pure acoustics can intersect." He praised the final track, in which "the performance reaches a crescendo of continuous mercurial textures. Tremolo bellowing, reed yelps, percussive piano cascades and blunt ruffs plus stick clatters from the drummer intersect with oozing, processed flanges. Skyscraper-high grace notes from the piccolo trumpet surmount the siren-like contrapuntal electric modulations for an additional jolt, presaging the more moderated finale."{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzword.com/reviews/peter-evans-ishikawa-ko-ned-rothenberg-peter-van-bergen-evan-parker-augusti-fernandez-barry-guy-paul-lytton-richard-barrett-paul-obermayer-joel-ryan-walter-prati-lawrence-casse |title=Peter Evans / Ishikawa Ko / Ned Rothenberg / Peter van Bergen / Evan Parker / Augustí Fernández / Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Richard Barrett / Paul Obermayer / Joel Ryan / Walter Prati / Lawrence Casserley / Marco Vecchi |first=Ken |last=Waxman |date=July 20, 2013 |website=JazzWord |access-date=June 23, 2024}}

Writing for Signal to Noise Magazine, Jason Bivins also singled out the final track for praise, calling it "a chirpy, effusive piece which forces the ensemble to move away from laminal improvising and explore nearly percussive phraseology." He commented: "Fernandez's marvelous prepared piano lines wend their way deep into the electronic fabric, with brass and overtones creating some kind of wind-based forest for a spell."{{cite magazine |last=Bivins |first=Jason |date=Spring 2013 |title=Reviews |issue=65 |magazine=Signal to Noise |pages=47 |url=https://issuu.com/stnguy/docs/stn_65.compressed}}

The editors of The Free Jazz Collective awarded the album a full 5 stars, and reviewer Martin Schray remarked: "no matter what line-up we are listening to - the music is fascinating – it is diverse and the musicianship is simply great. The musicians are piling up layer after layer of sounds, and although the musical atmosphere created is hard and sometimes even grinding, you can feel a beauty underneath based on communication and imagination."

1. "Hasselt 1" (Agusti Fernandez, Ishikawa Ko, Walter Prati) – 10:12
2. "Hasselt 2" (Richard Barrett, Barry Guy, Paul Obermayer, Peter van Bergen) – 11:41
3. "Hasselt 3" (Peter Evans, Agusti Fernandez, Ishikawa Ko, Paul Lytton, Ned Rothenberg) – 15:54
4. "Hasselt 4" (Evan Parker) – 34:37

• Evan Parker – soprano saxophone (track 4)
• Richard Barrett – electronics (tracks 2, 4)
• Lawrence Casserley – signal processing, percussion, voice (track 4)
• Peter Evans – trumpet, piccolo trumpet (tracks 3, 4)
• Agusti Fernandez – piano, prepared piano (tracks 1, 3, 4)
• Barry Guy – double bass (tracks 2, 4)
• Ishikawa Ko – sho (tracks 1, 3, 4)
• Paul Lytton – percussion, live electronics (tracks 3, 4)
• Paul Obermayer – live electronics (tracks 2, 4)
• Walter Prati – live electronics, computer processing (tracks 1, 4)
• Ned Rothenberg – clarinet, bass clarinet (tracks 3, 4)
• Joel Ryan – sample and signal processing (track 4)
• Peter van Bergen – A♭ and contrabass clarinets (tracks 2, 4)
• Marco Vecchi – sound processing, sound projection (track 4)

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Category:2012 live albums

Category:Evan Parker live albums

Category:Psi Records live albums