Change up! Jonas Hellborg is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with everyone from Bill Laswell to John McLaughlin, Buckethead and Fazal Qureshi. Beginning his career in 1976 he joined Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1983 and remained a member until 1988.
On this record, Hellborg — on acoustic bass — is joined by Tony Williams (drums, played with Miles Davis) and the Solider String Quartet. There’s a heavy Eastern/Indian flavor to these compositions, except for the random (but so cool) obscure Jimi Hendrix cover, “Cherokee Mist”.
From Satan Stole My Teddybear: “The Word is one of the most unique records he’s done, and like nothing you’ll ever see anywhere. Produced by Bill Laswell in a rare flash of brilliance, the record features Hellborg on acoustic bass guitar, the late jazz drummer and fusion pioneer Tony Williams on drums, and a four-piece string ensemble. The material is mostly composed, with a little bass improv thrown in here and there. Far from mere arrangements, the strings are integral parts of the compositions, which blend together Bartok, middle-eastern music, Hellborg-style bass, and Williams’ thunderous fusion drumming. The context, writing and playing are simply brilliant, complex, intimate, violent, oriental, and passionate; they even manage to make an obscure Hendrix piece (“Cherokee Mist”) sound absolutely brilliant.
“This is not everyday music, but a major kick in the senses by one of today’s most interesting musicians. His more metal/rock/fusion ventures with Shawn Lane (Two Doorswith Michael Shrieve, Abstract Logic and others) might be more recommended as a first introduction to his musical vision – even though the music could hardly be more different. In any case, one can hardly go wrong with Hellborg.”
Jonas Hellborg
The Word
(Axiom, 1991)
MediaFire DL Link
01. Akasha
02. Zat
03. Saut-E Sarmad
04. Two Rivers
05. Be! And All Became
06. Poets
07. Black Rite
08. Cherokee Mist [Jimi Hendrix]
09. Miklagaard
10. Path Over Clouds
