Gary Hassay

(b. 1947)

Saxophonist Gary Hassay was the driving force behind the Allentown-based organization Improvco (officially “Improvisational Music Co., Inc.”), which produced nearly 135 concerts in the Lehigh Valley between 1980 and 1994. Hassay’s efforts made Improvco into a focal point in the area for a worldwide pool of creative improvising musicians. As incongruous as it may seem, Allentown ranked alongside New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco as a point on the curve of North American activities for musicians touring from all over Western Europe, Italy, Greece, Japan, and South Africa—most making their first or early trips to the USA. Peter Brötzmann, Willem Breuker, John Tchicai, Guido Mazzon, Evan Parker, and dozens of others on the rolls of Improvco artists joined Leo Smith, John Zorn, Jeanne Lee, Lee Konitz, Cecil Taylor, LaDonna Smith, the World Saxophone Quartet, David Moss, Shelley Hirsch, Randy Weston and a flock of American improvisers in headlining Improvco concerts. 

Portions of some sets and seasons of Improvco were performed by talented musicians based in the region, including the Pennsylvania Dutch Free Music Society, Unit 731, Scott Balliett, Donald Lehr, and others—affiliates of the organization and otherwise.  Also featured were Hassay’s own groups Ye Ren, Donnie’s Hot Fur, and Dr. Vincent Sakeeda and the Attack Ensemble. Concerts were held in several different locations through the years; the Improvco schedule cultivated several recurring annual elements including the late summer Vundterfest weekend, Halloween appearances by Borbetomagus, and a Christmas festivity with a rotating pool of acts. Improvco’s innovations also stretched to include dance and live painting as interactive elements of the concerts. The collection includes as well documentation of Hassay groups and other related productions beyond Improvco. 

Hassay’s collection details these activities. Included are custom-designed posters, original press releases, area coverage in print media, prints of photographs of the events, and, centrally, audio and video recordings made on formats advancing into the early decades of digital recording. Further paperwork documents the formation and progress of Improvco as a legitimate non-profit and repeated grant recipient. Though Hassay’s formidable collection of 20th century modern artwork will be preserved and archived through other avenues, musical artists visiting to play Improvco concerts were invited to create original works on paper in Hassay’s notebooks in the collection, which likewise preserve unique dimensions of these players’ artistry.

Crossing Tones is honored to shepherd these materials into greater worldwide visibility.