Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane & Jeff Sipe

Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane & Jeff Sipe - Personae - 2002 - Bardo

Take three of the most frighteningly accomplished instrumentalists in contemporary music and record a live set of mostly improvised, long-form compositions. Jazz fusion, you say? On Personae, bassist Jonas Hellborg, guitarist Shawn Lane and drummer Jeff Sipe grab the notion of "fusion," toss it back and forth for a bit, toy with the concept and ultimately hurl it against the wall, shattering it into a thousand fragments. Somewhere between Hellborg's fierce, anxious bass lines, Sipe's superhumanly precise cadences and Lane's awesome spasms of guitar wizardry, the trio forges a sound that trancends conventional categorization. Personae, recorded live in Germany, captures three virtuosos at the pinnacle of their powers and documents all the scabrous intensity and gentle beauty of their collaboration. © Propermusic.com Ltd 2013. http://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Jonas-Hellborg-Shawn-Lane-Jeff-Sipe-Personae-24473

Extraordinary live hot bop and hard rock fusion recorded live in Germany in 1996 and 1997 by three musical giants. This is music with real teeth that highlights just how poor the music scene is today. Sadly, Shawn Lane died in 2003. Listen to Jens Johansson’ “Fission” album featuring Shawn and Mike Stern [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: file size = 125 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Time Is The Enemy 4:39
2 Rag B/B 20:08
3 Personae 7:18
4 Heretics 11:23
5 Hell Is Other People 8:00
6 Rice With The Angels 5:21

All tracks composed by Shawn Lane & Jonas Hellborg

MUSICIANS

Shawn Lane - Guitar
Jonas Hellborg - Bass
Jeff Sipe – Drums

BIO (JONAS HELLBORG)

JONAS HELLBORG was born 1958 in Gothenburg, Sweden. He taught himself to play the bass at age 12. Influenced by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Deep Purple, HELLBORG played mainly blues and heavy rock. In 1972 he heard a record that changed his perception of music. ‘The Inner Mounting Flame’, by the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA would not only influence his music, but his career as well. Formal studies in jazz and classical music started at the age of sixteen. At this time he became involved with a free form group. He particularly listened to recordings of ALBERT AYLER and JOHN COLTRANE. He studied MILES DAVIS’S development from the early part of his career through the beginning of the 70’s when Davis produced ‘In A Silent Way’, and ‘Bitches Brew’. In this context, HELLBORG became reintroduced to the work of JOHN MCLAUGHLIN. MCLAUGHLIN would serve as the main influence for HELLBORG who was exploring a jazz/rock idiom, playing small clubs in the south of Sweden. JONAS HELLBORG’S command of his instrument flabbergasted musicians when he first performed in Sweden in the early 1980's. His gleefully flamboyant virtuosity was made the more startling by his punk stage presence. He may have acted as a rock musician initially – and to a considerable extent he still is - but he cornered all those slumming jazz cats in matters of improvisational daring and originality. He is fast - how many other bass players could play unisons with full-tilt MCLAUGHLIN - but what are acknowledged by his peers, include his slap technique, lead lines and revolutionary chordal approach, serving to extend his instrument’s potential The wider chords, for example, pointed toward a keyboard-like role for the bass, and reflected his studies of MCCOY TYNER’s music. The intervallic leaps in his solo's have almost as much to do with COLTRANE than HENDRIX and scarcely relate to traditional bass technique at all. JONAS is on record too as learning from the under-acknowledged BACK DOOR bass guitarist, COLIN HODGKINSON. Otherwise, on his chosen instrument he is his own man entirely and one of the very best 4 string electric and acoustic bass guitarists on this planet. Dissatisfied with the various rock groups he had been working, HELLBORG turned to more challenging music and solo concerts. In 1981, he was invited to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival. MICHAEL BRECKER was impressed by JONAS HELLBORG'S playing there and introduced him to many of the jazz greats including JONAS’S long time idol, JOHN MCLAUGHLIN. Subsequently HELLBORG sent him some tapes of his music. Later in 1981, BRECKER invited HELLBORG to New York to open for STEPS AHEAD on several club dates. Upon his return to Europe from the USA, HELLBORG was approached by percussion great, REEBOP KWAKU BAAH of TRAFFIC and AIRFORCE fame. The two worked for a year in London on a recording project that was halted by REEBOP’S tragic death in the latter part of 1982. In 1982 HELLBORG created his own record label, Day Eight Music (DEM), in order to allow himself and others to record with full artistic freedom: the subsequent numbers of albums released covering a very broad range of music, reflect this objective. The first record was HELLBORG’S first solo bass release, ‘The Bassist Thing’. In February 1983 JONAS HELLBORG went back to London to complete the project started with REEBOP, releasing an album entitled ‘Melodies In A Jungle Man’s Head’ (DEM). In May 1983, HELLBORG joined avant-garde pianist MICHAEL J. SMITH and drummer MICHAEL SHRIEVE (ex. SANTANA) to record the label’s second release, ‘All Our Steps’. Shortly after this, JOHN MCLAUGHLIN invited HELLBORG to join the reforming MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. The first performance HELLBORG did with MCLAUGHLIN was a television show in Paris where they played in trio with BILLY COBHAM on drums. Early 1984 saw the addition of saxophonist BILL EVANS and keyboardist MITCH FOREMAN and the group released the self-titled album ‘Mahavishnu’ (Warners). At the same time JONAS HELLBORG released his second solo bass album ‘Elegant Punk’. Before the first MAHAVISHNU tour drummer DANNY GOTTLIEB (ex-PAT METHENY GROUP), replaced BILLY COBHAM; the group completed two World tours. In 1984, at the start of MAHAVISHNU'S USA tour, MICHAEL SHRIEVE introduced JONAS HELLBORG to BILL LASWELL. At the time the musician and producer (nowadays a renown jazz-album remixer), LASWELL was recording DEADLINE'S ‘Down By Law’, and invited HELLBORG to play on it: the album is special in that it holds probably last recordings of JACO PASTORIUS and PAUL BUTTERFIELD. In 1985 LASWELL managed to dig out GINGER BAKER from retirement in Italy, to have him play on the atypical PIL's recording, ‘Compact Disc’, (also called ‘Cassette’, or ‘Album’, depending on the format it was sold originally; Virgin Records). So while passing through New York on tour again, HELLBORG also contributed to this album, along with STEVE VAI and TONY WILLIAMS – much to the apparent and subsequent chagrin of JOHN “ROTTEN” LYDON!! In 1985 HELLBORG and MCLAUGHLIN started playing duet concerts. In an effort to explore a different musical mood, the two created an intimate chamber music kind of jazz/funk that was almost classical in its texture. In same year, HELLBORG also recorded ‘Axis’ with PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC player BERNIE WORRELL (keyboards), BERNARD FOWLER (vocals) and ANTON FIER (drums). 1986 saw the release of the second MAHAVISHNU album, ‘Adventures In Radioland’ (recorded in Milan, Italy) and another world tour. In 1987, the MCLAUGHLIN-HELLBORG duo toured throughout Japan, the US and Europe. Later the same year HELLBORG teamed up with WORRELL and GINGER BAKER to record ‘Bass’ and tour Europe. JONAS HELLBORG also found time to guest on an album by the German free jazz group KOLLECTIV, ’Kollectiv Featuring Jonas Hellborg’ (ITM Records). A limited edition release, a compilation of previously heard Hellborg recordings, was issued ’Onkyo Presents Jonas’ (DEM, 1987) In 1988 MCLAUGHLIN and HELLBORG were joined by Indian percussionist TRILOK GURTU for a tour of the USA. HELLBORG can be heard on a couple tracks of TRILOK GURTU’S album ‘Usfret’ (1988, CMP Records). The 1989 HELLBORG release ‘Adfa’ featured a variety of musicians including TRILOK GURTU (percussion)). After this tour HELLBORG left MCLAUGHLIN, moved to New York and formed his own trio with Turkish AYDIN ESEN (keyboards) and KENWOOD DENNARD (drums). This first version of the JONAS HELLBORG GROUP toured Europe doing concerts and TV shows but made no recordings. The second version was formed with brothers JENS JOHANSSON (keyboards) and ANDERS JOHANSSON (drums), both from YNGWIE MALMSTEEN’S RISING FORCE. (During this period, in 1990 JENS joined DIO for a record and a tour). Also during this time HELLBORG toured and recorded a mix of heavy rock and jazz. The resulting album, ‘The Jonas Hellborg Group’ (DEM, Day Eight Music Records), had an experimental group consisting of two bass players (HELLBORG on 4 string, and ANDERS NORD on 6 string basses) and drummer JAMIE SALAZAR, later of the FLOWER KINGS, (electronic drums). In 1990 JONAS HELLBORG and BILL LASWELL created the Greenpoint Recording Studio in New York. They also worked together on several recordings. HELLBORG played on the LASWELL produced album by GINGER BAKER ‘Middle Passage’. In 1991 they collaborated on DEADLINE’S ‘Dissident’ (DEM). LASWELL produced HELLBORG’S ‘The Word’ (Axiom), a record where HELLBORG (acoustic bass guitar) and famed TONY WILLIAMS (drums) are backed by a string quartet. This album was also the first feature of a unique instrument that HELLBORG took delivery of in 1989, the Wechter acoustic bass guitar, built by luthier Abraham Wechter between 1986 and ‘89. This instrument was also used on HELLBORG’s third solo bass album, ‘The Silent Life’ (DEM). In 1991 HELLBORG produced JENS JOHANSSON’S ‘Fjäderlösa Tvåfotingar’ (Amigo Records; experimental, synth-lead, jazz fusion) and GINGER BAKER’S ‘Unseen Rain’ with HELLBORG (acoustic bass guitar) and JENS JOHANSSON (acoustic piano) (DEM). In early 1992 the trio of HELLBORG, BAKER, JOHANSSON toured Europe. In addition HELLBORG recorded several records in ’92: • RAF’s ‘Ode To A Tractor’ (DEM), an avant-garde recording featured LASWELL and fellow LAST EXIT colleague PETER BROTZMAN, plus JENS JOHANSSON and others; • SHINING PATH’S ‘No Other World’ (DEM), thrash metal rock played near perfectly by HELLBORG and the JOHANSSON brothers, featuring singer GARY “MUDBONE” COOPER – the album has a controversial sleeve photo; • ANDERS JOHANSSON’S ‘Shu-Tka’ (Heptagon Records), • His own ‘Octave Of The Holy Innocents’ (DEM; subsequently remixed, remastered and released by Bardo in 2005), with MICHAEL SHRIEVE (drums) and BUCKETHEAD (acoustic guitar). In January 93 HELLBORG moved to Paris and had a year off from recording, although he toured extensively doing both solo concerts, working with a group of middle eastern musicians, with MICHAEL SHRIEVE as well as playing duos with several other percussionists, and concerts together with the JOHANSSON brothers. In 1994 he recorded two new albums: ‘Ars Moriende’ (DEM), with the New York-based frame drum player and percussionist GLEN VELEZ, and ‘Abstract Logic’ (DEM) with guitarist SHAWN LANE and drummer KOFI BAKER (Ginger’s son). He also worked on pieces for string quartet and a suite for cello and piano called ‘Hell Bop’, which had its first performance at a concert at the Swedish Culture Centre in Paris. HELLBORG went to China 1995 in January for recordings with different Chinese musicians including flute player DU CI WEN. This was followed by recordings with MICHAEL SHRIEVE and SHAWN LANE, on SHRIEVE’s ‘Two Doors’ (CMP Records). LANE and ANDERS JOHANSSON joined HELLBORG for a tour of China in September and the first for a western "fusion" group. The Swedish National Ballet Company, Cullberg Baletten, decided to use music from the record ‘Ode To A Tractor’ for a piece choreographed by Lars Max Bethke. (One is recommended to be wary of the 1995 release NIELS & THE NY STREET PERCUSSIONISTS; although HELLBORG’S name is used on the front cover with equal billing to NIELS, it seems he only produced the album but did not play). HELLBORG’S main project through the late 90’s has been with SHAWN LANE (guitars) and JEFF SIPE (aka APT Q-258, drums), with the release of a number of albums and extensive world touring. Musically the trio’s music has been predominately been in the jazz rock fusion field, releasing some of the best jazz rock albums of the 90’s: • ‘Temporal Analogues Of Paradise’ (1996, Bardo); • ‘Time Is The Enemy’ (Bardo 1997, reissued with extra tracks in 2004). • ‘Personae’ (2002, Bardo). In addition there have been the world jazz fusion albums: • HELLBORG and LANE’S ‘Zen House’ (2000, Bardo); • HELLBORG, LANE, with V. SELVAGANESH (kanjeera) on ‘Good People In Times Of Evil’ (Bardo 2000); The soundtrack of HELLBORG’s performance on Syrian TV with traditional Arab musicians, was released as ‘Aram Of Two River: Live In Syria’ (Bardo 1999). With eastern influences now strongly evident in their music, (including the Sufi Qawwalis music of the Khans,) HELLBORG and LANE worked with southern Indian musicians, V. UMAMAHESH (vocals) V. SELVAGANESH (kanjeera) and V. UMASHANKAR (ghatam) recorded and released ‘Icon’ (Bardo) and ‘Paris’ (Bardo DVD). Only the premature death of Shawn Lane in 2003, curtailed the longest collaboration of HELLBORG’S career. There have been several sightings of HELLBORG since LANE’S untimely death, including work with free jazz musicians. Early in 2005 GARY HUSBAND and guitarist STEVE TOPPING (replacing ALLAN HOLDSWORTH at the last moment) toured India. At the end of 2005 HELLBORG released ‘Kali’s Son’ (Bardo), another welcomed Indo-jazz recording in collaboration with progressive sitarist NILADRI KUMAR (zitar & sitar) and again with percussionist V. SELVAGANESH (kanjeera). The exceptional number of projects and astonishing recordings (several can be listing in the best jazz fusion of the last 20 years), in a very broadest range of musics, demonstrates JONAS HELLBORG’S unwillingness to stop in one spot for very long: the epitomy of a true progressive musician. [(Considerably updated and extended biography based on that originally offered by Bardo Records, by RJH)] © Prog Archives, All rights reserved

ABOUT SHAWN LANE

Shawn Lane was a phenomenally talented guitar player who never quite broke out beyond guitar enthusiasts and critics, but will remain influential to players for many years to come. Originally hailed as a child prodigy, Lane joined Black Oak Arkansas as a teenager, and could have been part of the guitar shredder movement of the late '80s and '90s, but his restless musical inclinations led him down a different path. Lane began his musical education on piano and cello at age four, but had switched to guitar by age eight. At ten, he was holding band rehearsals at the house he shared with his grandmother, and since the other bandmembers left their instruments at his house, Lane was free to try them out, and added bass and drums to his keyboard and guitar abilities. By 15, Lane was becoming known in Memphis circles as a guitarist, which led to an audition with Black Oak Arkansas in 1978, who he toured with for the next four years. Black Oak Arkansas was still popular enough to play at Bill Clinton's inaugural as Governor of Arkansas, but the band's heyday was well behind them. After disbanding briefly, BOA was re-formed with a couple of Shawn's high school friends joining the band, and bringing a heavy fusion edge to this southern boogie band. Then, burnt out from touring, Lane basically dropped out of sight in 1982 for a couple years, practiced piano, studied music theory and composition, and did a lot of reading and watching movies (he claims he barely played guitar at all during this period). The mid-'80s saw Shawn returning to guitar: first playing in some bands around the south, then appearing on an album produced by Mike Varney on the Shrapnel label, with a tune called "Stratosphere II" on the U.S. Metal compilation (his first available recording). Shortly afterwards, he formed a band called the Willys, who were the house band at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Many touring musicians caught Lane's playing while staying there, and word of mouth led to session work, and eventually to his playing on the Highwayman 2 album with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. That high profile work ,and a demo cassette passed to Jim Ed Norman at Warner Brothers led to Lane being signed to Warner Brothers in 1990. Lane spent the next two years at home, creating the Powers of Ten album, on which he played every instrument. Following its release in 1992, Guitar Player Magazine named him "Best New Talent" and he placed second in Keyboard Magazine's "Best Keyboard Player" category. A touring band was assembled to promote the album, and a live recording was made, though it wasn't released until 2001(Powers of Ten Live!). His next project was DDT, a band that also featured Cody and Luther Dickenson, later of the North Mississippi Allstars. The DDT material was supposed to be for Lane's second album for Warner Bros., but the recording never materialized. Also at this time, Lane did production work for other artists, did a couple instructional videos, and developed curricula and taught at several European Conservatories. 1994 would be an important year for Lane, as it marked his first collaboration with Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg, a relationship that would continue for nearly a decade and produce many releases (mostly on the Bardo label). Lane and Hellborg were perfect collaborators, sharing many of the same musical influences and many other interests as well, and it was playing with Hellborg that Lane really discovered his voice on guitar. They toured with drummer Jeff Sipe over the next several years, developing such a rapport that they were able to play completely improvised sets every night (documented on albums like Temporal Analogues of Paradise and Time Is the Enemy). Concurrently, in 1995, Hellborg and Lane played with Chinese pop singer Wei-Wei, and the Hellborg/Lane/Sipe trio appeared as an opening act at all of Mainland China's largest musical venues. Lane and Hellborg parted ways with Sipe in 1997, allowing Lane to work on the tracks that would become Tri-Tone Fascination, his second solo album in 1999. Also at this time, he and Hellborg began incorporating more Near Eastern and Eastern influences into their playing and improvising (Zenhouse, ). In 1999, Lane and Hellborg began working with V. Selvaganesh, son of percussionist Vikku Vinayakram of Shakti fame, and began pushing the music into more of a South Indian fusion, as evidenced by Good People in Times of Evil. Lane started having health problems in 2001, temporarily breaking off his work with Hellborg. After recovering, Lane started playing with a Memphis bar band called the Time Bandits, but was back with Hellborg and Sipe for a brief tour in 2002. There was also more work with the Vinayakrams, resulting in Icon, a dazzling work of East-West fusion that, unfortunately proved to be among Lane's final recorded works. There was a brief tour of India in February of 2003, but Lane's health problems returned, and on Sept. 26, 2003, Shawn Lane passed away following lung surgery. © Sean Westergaard © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/shawn-lane-p26629/biography

ABOUT JEFF SIPE

Jeff began to play drums in the sixth grade. Then In 1975, Jeff’s first stepping stone was attending the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. — One of Jeff’s dreams finally came true when he was accepted to Berklee in 1977. While at Berklee, Jeff studied under Bob Kaufman and Bill Norine, he attended clinics given by Alan Dawson and was taken under by his mentor Lee Venters. Jeff was lucky enough to attend Berklee with an impressive cast of musicians like Branford Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Mike Stern and Jeff Watts, Kevin Eubanks, Dean Parks, Steve Vai, just to name a few. While studying at Berklee, Jeff met and played in a band with Steve Vai and Baron Brown called “Winter”. This experience turned Jeff on to a wide world of music and rhythm which gave him valuable tools that he still carries with him today. After his stay in Boston, Jeff moved to Atlanta in 1983. There he began gigging and teaching at the Atlanta Institute for Music and at a popular hang out for Atlanta drummers, Atlanta Drums and Percussion. Jeff spent time sitting in with local musicians and was introduced to Bruce Hampton through Dan Wall, a keyboardist that he had been playing with…..and that’s the rest of the story. It seemed too fitting that their first meeting took place at a wedding because not only was there a marriage there was a wedding of vast musical intention. Jeff then asked Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring to sit in on this free willed musical band wagon and the Aquarium Rescue Unit was born. In 1996, Jeff met up with Swedish-born bass extraordinaire Jonas Hellborg and the Memphis guitar monster Shawn Lane. This Trio did many Europoean tours as well as American tours. Jonas released 4 recordings of this band including “Temporal Analogues of Paradise”, a classic. Jeff’s interest in bluegrass music led him to 3 years with “Leftover Salmon” where he gigged almost non stop! The recording “Nashville Sessions” was a high lite of that period having an opportunity to work with Randy and Earl Srcruggs, Bela Fleck, Waylon Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, & Jerry Douglas among others. Jeff took on his own creation known as the Zambiland Orchestra. This experimental big band featured Ricky Keller conducting members of Phish, Widespread Panic, Michael Ray and the Cosmic Crew, the Derek Trucks Band, the Fiji Mariners, MOE, Little Feat, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Warren Haynes, Stanton Moore, the Atlanta All-Stars, Little John, Sonny Emory Randy Honea, and many others. The Zambiland Orchestra performed as a charity event for six years in a row every December just before Christmas at the Variety Playhouse as a benefit for Hospice and the food bank. By the 4th year into it there where 83 players on stage being conducted by the great spirit Ricky Keller and Jeff. One invited guest was Matt Butler who was so inspired by this spirited event that he began his own version called the” Everyone Orchestra”. Even more recently Jeff teamed up with long time friend and guitar maniac Jimmy Herring on a project known as Z, that’s Project Z to most. Together with fellow Atlantian producer/musician Ricky Keller and mega organ/keyboardist Oliver Wells, Project Z recorded a self titled debut album filled with juicy fusionisk tunes that gathered praise from all realms. Since then a second Project Z has been released as well as Jeff’s solo release “Timeless” featuring Paul Hanson, Derek Jones, Jason Crosby, Kofi Burbridge, Count ‘M Butu and Derek Trucks. Currently Jeff is touring with Mike Seal and Taylor Lee as the “Jeff Sipe Trio”: Mike Seal on guitar; Taylor Lee on bass. Other Jeff Sipe releases include: the Jeff Sipe Band’s “Studio Live” with Mike Seal on guitar, Neal Fountain on bass and Matt Slocum on keys, “Art of the Jam” with a host of many great musicians, and “Jeff Sipe, Paul Hanson & Jonas Hellborg” © 2012 Jeff Sipe Music - All Rights Reserved http://jeffsipemusic.com/about/