Bass Player: Alain Caron

Alain Caron (born May 5, 1955) is a French Canadian bassist.

The youngest of 11 children, Caron started playing bass at age 11 and began pursuing jazz at age 15. His musical skills were formalised by correspondence lessons with the jazz improvisation teacher |Charlie Banaco and by attending a summer session at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

He is a former member of UZEB (with Michel Cusson on guitar and Paul Brochu on drums) that was active from 1976 to 1992 and it is from the UZEB album Live At Bracknell that the excerpt transcription the appears below is taken. Caron has also recorded with Leni Stern and Gino Vanelli.

The riff is another one of those ‘what is he doing’? moments and represents a two bar riff that Caron plays for several minutes of the tune ‘Tribecca’. It is a fretless groove and shows Caron’s impeccable technique, intonation and stamina to the full. An incredible performance captured live.