Uncomparable to anything else really, although it DOES remind me somewhat of Brian Enos AMBIENT series from the late 70's (!!!). Eno & Hassell "assembled" and "processed" this music together. And there is maybe a distant echo of "Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Jou Jouka" to be heard, and the liner notes to Jones album begin with, "Magic calls itself The Other Method for controlling matter and knowing space....". That seems fitting in relation to this music by Jon Hassell, he really does seem to have his very own conception of matter (instruments/sounds) & space (composition) here. Hard to believe that most of the time one is listening to a trumpet somewhere in these waves and clouds of sound. For as much as this is an ethereal misty daze, it still somehow retains a non stop driving ryhthm. It also reminds me a bit of one of my favorite unknown solo bass players, Jeff Turek, and his equally unique dealings with sound and space. "Surgeon of the Nightsky..." was originally recorded in 1985/86/87 and originally released in 1987. The wonderful surrealistic title comes from a poem by Ira Cohen, and the equally wonderful cover art is a painting titled "The Swamp", by Melissa Miller, done in 1983. This music is strangely, simultainiously relaxing and stimulating, ... quite uniquely excellent.
