In this programme, Jonas Hellborg (1958-) the Swedish bass guitarist, shares his passion for his music, through interviews, clips and footage of his concerts.

Having taught himself to play the bass at the tender age of 12, he was significantly influenced by bands and artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Deep Purple, played lots of blues and rock. In 1972 he became familiar with the music of guitarist John McLaughlin and his Indian/ jazz/ rock fusion group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which, in tribute to its rock roots pushed the volume in their live shows to the limit, yet frequently used the sophisticated improvisation techniques of jazz.

Hellborg subsequently began formal studies in jazz and classical music at the age of 16 began to develop his interest in jazz, listening to Albert Ayler and John Coltrane, and studying Miles Davis.
In 1981, he was invited to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he was introduced to many of the jazz greats including his long-time idol John McLaughlin, and from that point on, he was assured of a number of fruitful collaborations with fellow exponents of the genre.

As a result, between 1983 and 1988, Hellborg became part of Mahavishnu, a reconstituted, updated version of John McLaughlin's pioneering Mahavishnu Orchestra, and in 1985 Hellborg and McLaughlin started playing duet concerts. In 1988, Hellborg formed the first Jonas Hellborg Group and since then, he has worked on a string of greatly diverse projects, including pieces for a string quartet, a suite for cello and piano called Hell Bop, a score for the Swedish National Ballet Company and recordings with Chinese musicians including the flute player Du Ci Wen. This diversity exemplifies his attitude towads music as a whole: His personal and musical philosophies are focused on intent and interaction in the moment, rather than postmortem analysis, an open-ended approach which embraces free-spirited exploration and improvisation.

Since Hellborg gets very little media coverage in the UK, this revealing insight into his life and his attitude to his work is essential viewing for all jazz fans.