Never Take No For An Answer

The Epidemics is a studio album by Indian violinist and composer L. Shankar, released on 1986 under ECM Records GmbH. The album appeared in a 12\" vinyl format and marked Shankar’s collaboration with producer and ECM founder Manfred Eicher.

The opening track, \"Never Take No For An Answer,\" runs for 3 minutes and 31 seconds and serves as the first composition on the record. Shankar performs on the double violin, a ten-string instrument of his own design, blending elements of Carnatic classical tradition with contemporary jazz and fusion styles. The track features layered rhythmic patterns and improvisational phrasing characteristic of Shankar’s cross-genre approach.

Production details for The Epidemics include recording sessions held at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway, a frequent location for ECM’s jazz and world music projects. The album’s engineering credits belong to Jan Erik Kongshaug, a longtime collaborator with Eicher. Additional personnel on the record remain undocumented in the provided context, though ECM’s typical practice involved minimalist ensemble arrangements.

The release aligns with Shankar’s broader discography of the 1980s, a period during which he gained recognition for fusing Indian classical techniques with Western instrumental frameworks. The Epidemics follows his earlier ECM album, Who’s to Know (1981), and precedes later works like Song for Everyone (1989). The vinyl edition includes no additional liner notes or alternate mixes in the available documentation.

Critical reception and commercial performance of The Epidemics are not specified in the given context. The album remains a catalog entry within ECM’s extensive world music and jazz repertoire, distinguished by Shankar’s instrumental innovation and the label’s signature production aesthetic.