Good People in Times of Evil

Jonas Hellborg;Shawn Lane;V. Selvaganesh (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 2000)
• Original Release Date: November 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bardo Records
• ASIN: B000050I2S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,606 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning musicianship, October 20, 2003

By 

Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Good People in Times of Evil (Audio CD)

"Technique and rhythmic interplay here are consistently at an extraordinary level." This statement is absolutly true. Another one is false, I suppose. This music was not recorded live in India but in an Italian studio, in Spoleto. Anyway, the music contened in this cd is exceptional. It is quite similar to the kind of fusion between indian and western music played by John McLaughlin's Shakti. I think you have to love this kind of musical situation to fully enjoy this compilation. The music you can find here is really indian in a sense. The form is raga, a modal kind of music where you have a pedal (a single gravitational note, a single fixed chord used as base) running for the full lenght of the track. The kind of rhythms are sure indian but with some kind of western flavour here and there. On this "statical" base musicians improvise melodically but more than anything else rythmically on a certain scale. The thing that is really important to listen to is the interplay going on between the musicians, here at an extraordinary level. For what concerned the single musician, Hellborg has developed a stunning slap technique on the bass to fully render this kind of music. Selvaganesh is absolutly outstanding both on vocals and percussions. He is a one man band. The things he can do rythmically and melodically are unbelievable. He is probably the best indian musician in the world. Shawn Lane, well, he belongs to a separate category. He's one of my all time favourite musician. I can't do justice to his guitar playing with simple words. Some people say Petrucci is a master. If this is true, how should we call Lane? God? The only complaint, for what I am concerned is in the mixing. Lane is often mixed too far, his lines are not always perfectly audible. He is not really in front of the listener when he is soloing. He is a little too far ... the rythmn section is too loud. Anyway, apart from this, this album contains a spectacular collection of improvisations.
Ciao Shawn, I'm so sad you're gone. Stay in peace.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars harmonius intercourse!, November 27, 2000

By 

vivek savant (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good People in Times of Evil (Audio CD)

this album stands to the expectations of not only a hellborg album but more so carnatic percussionist selvaganesh (currently touring with john mclauglin as part of shakti) from india who shines on the kanjira - lizard skin hand held drum. after jamming with everyone from ginger baker and tony williams to bill laswell and shankar, jonas teams up with his old mate shawn lane on guitar and selva on indian percussion. the sound is very groove orientied in an ethnic sense. the interplay engaged between hellborg's groovy bass lines playing over selva's kanjira and then with sultan kahn's sarangi (unfortunatley only on one track) is both haunting and relaxing. this is NOT an east-west oft abused genre album. its a live session that took place amongst 3 of the creative forces behind music difficult to categorize. definitely one of the best albums (jazz or beyond) released before the year end.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hellborg still improves, July 28, 2003

By 

J. Russell (Vancouver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good People in Times of Evil (Audio CD)

Sweedish bass player (or bass guitarist) Jonas Hellborg has been picking up from where Jaco left off years ago. Showing how the electric bass can be used to play huge chords, accompany itself, and drive the melody of a song. More intelligent use of the bass then even Jaco dreamed of Hellborg continues to astound on this disc. His playing is smooth, virtuosic, intelligent, and original. He's no mindless showoff like Wooten, and he plays better. Shawn Lane finally learns that other musicians play on these albums and offers his best playing since Temporal Analogues of Paradise, the solo on the final track is truly inspired. Like a funky, blues inpired, jazz fused Indian, if you can imagine such a thing. Selveganesh plays absolutely amazing and shows this rockin' couple that a Ghatam can easily replace a drum kit. This is what Shakti should of done when they came back. It is true world fusion, not just a visit to things that have been done before with new instrumentation. Hellborg is still the best composer that fusion has ever seen. This is the first time I have truly understood why Hellborg chose to play with Shawn Lane. The next album with these three, Icon, showed me why Shawn may be the best alive.