"Jonas Hellborg is a bass guitarist with the omnivorous ears of a Don Cherry and the once-in-a-generation instrumental technique of a John McLaughlin. He is also thankfully something of an anarchist.The approach to his own instrument and choice of collaborators has seen him build a body of work consistently rewarding, sophisticated and almost entirely above genre." (Neil Bennun for BBC Music)

 

Back in the times when music industry rules were made by a small number of major labels on mainly financial grounds, Jonas Hellborg founded Day Eight Music to allow himself and other artists total freedom of artistic expression.  

Oblivious to commercial perspectives and solely guided by a flawless devotion for musical honesty, Day Eight Music released during its 18 years of existence aproximately 40 records, each one a sample of  non-conformism and exploration, music for the sake of music. It served as a modest platform for self-signed works of remarcable artists like Michael Shrieve, Reebop, Ginger Baker, Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson, Glen Velez, Trilok Gurtu and others. And it was a licence for Hellborg's own solo work to write new pages of technique and melodic innovation to bass playing history.

"Hellborg's hand-pulverizing chordal playing, brutal slap technique, and daredevil intervallic leaps left audiences spellbound, but as the years went by, it became clear that he wanted to do more than simply show off his chops. As a pure technician, he had nothing left to prove; it was time to bring more emotional and stylistic depth to his music. To that end, Hellborg has repeatedly crisscrossed the globe, working with great musicians in a range of genres, from American guitar shredder Buckethead to English drum guru (and Cream veteran) Ginger Baker to Chinese flutist Du Ci Wen. And he's released many of the results of these musical experiments on his own Day Eight Music label, which he's been in charge of since its founding in 1982." (Mac Randall - Beyond Technique, Beyond Boundaries)

Bardo Records is the rebirth of Day Eight's Music activity with the move to the US in 1997.

It has so far re-released some of the most valuable out of print audio testimonies of its past (marked on our website by the label "Retrospectives"), and there are more to come. 

However, rather than looking back, Bardo Records continues to document Hellborg's journey as a tireless musical explorer, never satisfied with the music and ideas of his own past, never satisfied with coasting on his indisputable technical excellence, concurrently at home in a wide spectrum of styles. Add to that Hellborg's sixth sense for choosing the most astonishing band members and spectacularly conducting them to unmapped musical places where the highest level of expression and communication is reached. No matter if you listen to duo efforts such as the project with frame drummer Glen Velez on Ars Moriende, trios featuring the likes of drummers Michael Shrieve and Apt. Q-258 (Jeff Sipe) and guitarists Buckethead and Shawn Lane, or the larger groups with the Indian Vinayakram Brothers, the Sirian musicians on Aram Of The Two Rivers or the Art Metal combo with Selvaganesh, Mattias IA Eklundh and the Johansson Brothers, you get a countinuously changing alchemy, testifying this iconoclastic virtuoso's extraordinarily diverse musical vision. Since the late '90s one of Hellborg's key interests has been exploring a unique hybrid of jazz and South Indian classical music in close cooperation with Selvaganesh, the genius of kanjeera drum.

"Everybody in the world is a part of my group," he says. "Not just people I've played with or want to play with or might play with someday, but even people I talk to on the street. All that contributes. It's not just a matter of playing music, but of being alive. Why not play a few Indian notes or a few Chinese notes? They're all out there. If you get something out of them, why not?" (Jonas Hellborg)

 

And, just because it would be too vast to describe how any of our records will add a new dimension to your musical horizons, and we don't want to rob you of the pleasure of discovering it yourselves, just go ahead and choose your favourite candy in our online shop right now. We guarantee you'll come back for more.

 

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