Icon - A Transcontinental Gathering

To those already familiar with Jonas Hellborg, it will come as no surprise that the bassist/composer's newest CD, "Icon," confounds expectations and defies easy categorization. This is, after all, an artist who has leant his talents to acts as diverse as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Public Image Ltd., and whose own albums have convincingly incorporated aspects of metal, jazz, fusion, Middle Eastern music, classical, punk, and post-bop - oftentimes within the same song. Recorded in London, Memphis, and N.Y., Jonas gathered the lineup behind 2000's stellar "Good People in Times of Evil" (BAO #40): hard rock guitarist Shawn Lane and Indian percussionist V. Selvaganesh (kanjeera and konokol). Also features vocalist V. Umamahesh and percussionist V. Umashankar (ghatam and konokol).