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HLS - Hellborg Lane Sipe enthusiasts

HeavyJazz

HeavyJazz

Supporting Member
Jan 26, 2013
3,602
6,169
Central Virginia
#1
I've done a few searches in TB... Is there really no HLS thread?! The Hellborg-Lane-Sipe rock/fusion trio that reigned from the winter of 1994 through May of 2003 yielded some of the most amazing musicianship of the genre. Today, scores of soundboard recordings are quietly traded across the globe while the Bardo label lies almost dormant and under the radar while Mr. Jonas putters in Warwick's R&D department. (That's not meant as a slight BTW.)

Just curious to know if there are other HLS loyalists out there among the TB ranks. Don't be shy!
 
#2
Really, Hellborg is not my cup of tea... Lane was incredible, but still just generally not the stuff I listen to regularly... Jeff Sipe, on the other hand, is without a doubt one of my favorite drummers ever.

Check out any of his work with Jimmy Herring over the years if you haven't heard it. Incredible stuff!

...And yes, if you've never heard HLS, by all means give it a spin, ANYONE can find something to like about musicians of that caliber.
 
#4
Shawn Lane was one of the nicest,most unassuming guys you could ever hope to meet,which always made me feel at ease,because i was aware of his many awesome solo and fusion group records. (I was always running into him at my luthier/bandmate Dave Crowder's house,he had Dave work on his guitars a lot). I think a lot people in Memphis only knew of him from his early days in BOA,and like a lot of fantastic Memphis musicians,he couldn't get arrested in his hometown. I love the live improv recordings of him,Hellborg,and the Indian percussionist(s?),but i haven't really listened to those cd's in quite a while. Time to revisit....
 
#8
I'm a huge fan of HLS, and have many gigs. While i think Lane was an incredible musician, if you've listened to enough HLS gigs, you start to hear a lot of repetition in his soloing, which for me, gets old fast.

And FWIW, Jonas put out an album with Selvaganesh and Niladri Kumar (sitarist), called Kali's Son, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. I like that album much more than any of the HLS stuff.
 
#11
rapidfirerob said:
Huge fusion fan and I dig all the HLS recordings. Terrible loss. Shawn was one of a kind. A guitarist friend of mine hung out with him and nothing but nice things to say about him, plus what he learned musically. Jonas continues to put out great albums, BTW. His latest, Retro, is a lovely jazz album.
Click to expand...

I thought "Retro" is an album by Gary Willis.
 
#13
It's frustrating that some people will see Hellborg in the title, think "fusion", and not bother to investigate further. To me it's mainly improvised rock that should appeal to fans of, say, the Dead's jams. Sometimes I think they sound like Duane Allman and Berry Oakley in heaven, with the Big Man himself on drums. I'm not crazy about Hellborg's output before teaming up with Shawn. I saw an early 80's Youtube clip of him with the reformed Mahavishnu Orchestra that was rather off putting, maybe that's just me. Hellborg, Lane and Sipe really brought out the best in each other.
 
#16
woodyng said:
Shawn Lane was one of the nicest,most unassuming guys you could ever hope to meet,which always made me feel at ease,because i was aware of his many awesome solo and fusion group records. (I was always running into him at my luthier/bandmate Dave Crowder's house,he had Dave work on his guitars a lot). I think a lot people in Memphis only knew of him from his early days in BOA,and like a lot of fantastic Memphis musicians,he couldn't get arrested in his hometown. I love the live improv recordings of him,Hellborg,and the Indian percussionist(s?),but i haven't really listened to those cd's in quite a while. Time to revisit....
Click to expand...

+1000. Shawn lived next door to the singer in one of my old bands (before I left the opportunity vacuum that is Memphis). He came to a few of our shows, even though this was towards the end of his life where he wasn't able to get around much. Always very complimentary, even though he could wipe the floor with our guitarist, who was no slouch in the prog/chops department.

Another guitarist I hired after moving to Nashville was Shawn's tech for 9 years (pretty much the Lane/Hellborg/Sipe period). He learned a lot, unfortunately never learned when it's not appropriate to let the dog of the leash.
 
#17
It was clear for a long time that Shawn's life was fading. I have to wonder if Hellborg and/or Sipe ever sat him down and said, "Look, man, we're here to help you. Let's get things turned around so you can get back to living again."

He allegedly managed to get himself off pain killers during a 4+ week stay in the hospital around the 9/11 time period, but I think he went back on them later on. Legend has it that he would save them up until a gig then take them so he could play without pain. Tragic... One the greats surely.
 
#18
HeavyJazz77 said:
It was clear for a long time that Shawn's life was fading. I have to wonder if Hellborg and/or Sipe ever sat him down and said, "Look, man, we're here to help you. Let's get things turned around so you can get back to living again."

He allegedly managed to get himself off pain killers during a 4+ week stay in the hospital around the 9/11 time period, but I think he went back on them later on. Legend has it that he would save them up until a gig then take them so he could play without pain. Tragic... One the greats surely.
Click to expand...

Before making statements like he was a druggie get your story straight! The guy suffered a debilitating disease, psoriatic arthritis from an early age. The drugs he was required to take to manage that caused his organs to shut down slowly, and added to his horrible weight gain. He was in a constant struggle to finish what he could while his health allowed him to. It must suck to have that much to say and know you'll be dead before you can get it done. What a sad,sad story. Ps the live in Paris DVD has a song "Aga of the Ladies" (sp?) that is simply mind bending. That guy had some serious mojo.
 
#19
almost human said:
I'm a huge fan of HLS, and have many gigs. While i think Lane was an incredible musician, if you've listened to enough HLS gigs, you start to hear a lot of repetition in his soloing, which for me, gets old fast.

And FWIW, Jonas put out an album with Selvaganesh and Niladri Kumar (sitarist), called Kali's Son, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. I like that album much more than any of the HLS stuff.
Click to expand...

I just discovered these guys earlier this year, they haven't gotten old for me yet.

I love "Kali's Son", but I LOVE Hellborg, Lane & Sipe.
 

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