Jazz Articles

Antoine Fafard: Ad Perpetuum

by Glenn Astarita
January 25, 2015

Canadian bassist Antoine Fafard possesses awe-inspiring chops and can seemingly do anything he darn well pleases. Following suit with his previous solo outing Occultus Tramitis (Unicorn, 2013) he aligns his significant wares with highly revered artists, providing the level of support required, not only to pull off the tricky time signatures, but to also add various marks of distinction to these strong compositional frameworks. On his previous outing, drumming heroes Terry Bozzio, Simon Phillips and other marquee names joined the ...

Antoine Fafard: Occultus Tramitis

by Glenn Astarita
September 10, 2013

An unanticipated surprise in the form of a new album is always welcome. And the star-studded cast of jazz, jazz fusion and progressive rock performers here is somewhat of an eye-opener, especially when considering that UK bassist Antoine Fafard (Spaced Out) is not a household name in the US. Gathering a supporting cast of this stature is no easy task. But, simply put, Fafard is a killer bassist, possessing gargantuan chops and an impressive compositional pen. With violinist Jerry Goodman ...

Upright: Opinion

by John Kelman
March 5, 2004

After a seven year hiatus, bassist Eric Martin has reconvened the Montreal progressive jazz outfit Upright and released Opinion , an album that owes more to the European progressive community than it does to more traditional American influences. The result is a recording that, with its electric approach, skirts the edges of fusion but, with less reliance on overt displays of technical prowess and a greater concern for compositional development, manages to avoid its more excessive trappings.

While the influence ...

Spaced Out: Spaced Out

by John W. Patterson
November 1, 2001

If you enjoy excessive loads of guitar doing plenty of fusion-based rocking out — then you will dig this Canadian fusion-driven group’s debut release. Bassist Antoine Fafard composes and arranges all the material and his bass work is pro all the way around. There is speed, unison line flurries, crunch, effective use of polyrhythms, and assorted ear-candy surprises. Soloing is tight, expressive in a novel way, leaning towards instrumental rock and then back to jazzy fusion in a balanced way. ...

Spaced Out: Spaced Out

by Todd S. Jenkins
August 1, 2001

Spaced Out is a powerful prog-fusion band from Montreal. Formed in '98 by bassist Antoine Fafard, the group draws influences from Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth and Bruford, but manage to craft their own unique sound in the end. This album could be the soundtrack to a sci-fi epic not yet written. One can imagine the transports flying overhead, robots in battle, and the ambient sounds of high-tech hallways.

As might be expected from a bassist-led band, Fafard's is often the ...