Renaud Garcia-Fons – Bass
Double bass player and composer, Renaud Garcia-Fons embodies a unique figure, a true musical traveller between jazz, classical music and world music. A true virtuoso soloist, he has established himself as one of the essential leaders of contemporary double bass. His exceptional mastery of the bow, his innovation in the spiccato and his use of a five-string double bass (where the instrument normally has four) make him a recognized and appreciated artist on a global scale.
Born in 1962, Renaud Garcia-Fons began by studying classical guitar before discovering the double bass, which quickly became an all-consuming passion. He followed a rigorous academic path, perfecting his art under the direction of the legendary François Rabbath. At the age of 21, he won the classical double bass prize of the city of Paris and obtained a State Diploma of double bass teacher, thus marking the beginning of his career.
By merging Eastern and Western influences, Garcia-Fons finds his singular path, a perfect balance that defines an inimitable style, recognizable at first listen. Over the years, he has built an impressive career, punctuated by acclaimed albums in jazz and world music circles. Some of his notable works include Oriental Bass (1997), Linea Del Sur (2010), Méditerranées (2012), Le Souffle des Cordes (2021), which testifies to his passion for strings, and Farangi (2019), a project where he collaborates with Claire Antonini on lute and theorbo, further revealing the richness of his influences.
In addition to his solo career, Renaud Garcia-Fons has distinguished himself through numerous collaborations with prestigious artists and ensembles. He has played with trumpeter Roger Guérin’s ensemble, the Orchestre des Contrebasses, and the Orchestre National de Jazz under the direction of Claude Barthélemy. His repertoire has also led him to share the stage with legends such as Nguyên Lê, Sylvain Luc, Paquito D’Rivera, Michel Portal, Hamilton de Holanda and Didier Lockwood. His love for flamenco has led him to work with artists such as David Peña Dorantes, Esperanza Fernández, Pedro Soler and Carmen Linares. In the field of world music, he has collaborated with Paul Simon, Angélique Ionatos, Dhafer Youssef, Huong Thanh, Kudsi Erguner, Soriba Kouyaté, and the Chemirani trio, among many others.
An outstanding soloist, Renaud Garcia-Fons is also a recognized composer. His creations extend to cinema, television, incidental music, as well as radio credits such as that of the program Les Racines du ciel on France Culture. He has composed for various ensembles, ranging from string quartets to symphony orchestras, and his talent as a composer has been praised around the world.
In 2023, he unveils his double CD album Cinematic Double Bass, Music for Imaginary Films, produced by Cézame Music Agency, a project that invites the listener to travel through inventive and cinematic soundscapes. Then, in 2024, he continues his musical exploration with Blue Maqam, a new album that weaves harmonious links between the musical traditions of East and West. For this project, he surrounds himself with his daughter Solea on vocals, Stéphan Caracci on vibraphone, and Jean-Luc Di Fraya on percussion, thus adding new colors to his musical universe.
(biographical information from artist’s website)
The trouble with cats like RGF is that they are so far ahead of the curve that transcribing them is enormously challenging. I had to search through his catalogue to find things that I had a chance of getting down on paper. The tune ‘Nove Alla Turca’ is from a 2019 duo album he recorded with Claire Antonini, a French lute and therebo player (the therebo is a lute like instrument with additional bass strings). RGF’s use of the five-string double bass with a high C (not a low B, like electric basses) is also exceptional (although I should note, for transparency, that this is how I tune my own five-string double bass). Consequently, there are a lot of 8va passages on this chart. A tough study.
I hope to transcribe some of his arco work in the near future (although you have no idea how difficult that can be). Watch this space.