Each release in Jon Hassell's discography, from 1977's Vernal Equinox througha string of albums in the 80's & 90s (including outings on EG, Power Spot onECM, and City: Works of Fiction) to the sleek instrumental hip-hop of 1994'sDressing for Pleasure (Warner), is so exquisitely recorded and meticulouslycrafted that the idea of a live Hassell album might at first seem alarming. Though the basic material for most tracks was indeed recorded live in Paris,Montreal, and Milan, Hassell true to form, has painstakingly reworked thesource recordings, with new material and "migrating" elements from oneperformance to another. Hassell's horn is silky and understated, and bassist Peter Freeman, keyboardwhiz John Beasley, guitarist Rick Cox & vocalist Dhafer Youssef all shine.Hassell's work is far richer and more multi-layered than most of the musictagged with that unfortunate epithet, "new age" - Maarifa Street is awork of extraordinary compositional craftsmanship by a modern master.