Renaud Garcia-Fons

Renaud Garcia-Fons, a composer and five-string bass player sometimes called "the Paganini of double bass," drew profound inspiration from the brilliant bassist François Rabbath. His formal engagement with music began early, starting on piano at age five before moving to classical guitar at eight, embracing rock during his teenage years, and finally committing to the bass at sixteen. Based in Paris, he has performed across festivals in Germany and throughout Europe. In 1987 he joined the Orchestre de Contrebasses, remaining for six years while also appearing with the Orchestre National de Jazz for part of that period. ENJA Records issued his solo debut, Légendes, during the '90s. Alboreá followed, showcasing his quartet with Jean-Louis Matinier on accordion, Jacques Mahieux on drums, and Yves Torchinsky on bass. His third album, Oriental Bass, which he composed himself, appeared in 1998. He later joined forces with accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier for the album Fuera. Garcia-Fons' music constitutes a rich gypsy mix of global jazz infused with Indian, Greek, African, flamenco, Latin American, tango, and new musette elements. Many of his works incorporate an array of instruments such as guitar, lute, derbouka, flutes, trombone, and accordion.