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L. Shankar — Full Moon
(X Dot 25 Music, 2024, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-07-16

Full Moon Cover art

This recent release from L. Shankar sees the violinist revisiting traditional forms in a modern context. Full Moon is much closer to Shakti than Peter Gabriel or Echo and the Bunnymen, and it shows Shankar’s mastery of his double-necked electric violin. I’ve been unable to find detailed credits for the album, but aside from Shankar on violin and vocals, there’s obviously a tabla player; I don’t hear a tambura, though there are some backing drones that could be from either synthesizers or effects on the violin. After my disappointment with Chepleeri Dream (2021), I was a bit wary when this album arrived, but it didn’t take long listening to realize we’re in much more positive territory here. Aside from the use of the electric violin, these original compositions are completely free of the trappings of Western popular music. While Shankar is clearly a virtuoso performer, the music doesn’t focus solely on his technical prowess — there is a meditative aspect to the music that is quite calming, even when he’s playing a zillion notes a minute, and often there’s a yearning melodicism to the music that is quite touching. At the center of the album is “Aberi Fantasy,” a three-part suite coming in at over 30 minutes. Full Moon also contains an appealing amount of variety, so there are substantial tabla solos, violin solos, and combined sections with the two, as well as times when Shankar sings and plays violin at the same time. It’s difficult to tell if there are any overdubs, though it seems likely that there could be some looping involved. But the bottom line is that regardless of how the album was made, it’s an artistic success, and I’m glad to have it in my collection. I would really like to know who’s playing the tabla, though.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): L. Shankar

More info
http://linktr.ee/lshankar

 

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