Renaud Garcia-Fons

Arguably the most amazing double bass player in the world, Renaud Garcia-Fons is known for his overwhelming virtuosity, his Mediterranean melodic sense and his viola-like con-arco sound. A former private student of the legendary Syrian bassist François Rabbath, Garcia-Fons is not only influenced by jazz and classical music, but also by flamenco, new musette, tango, Celtic, Andalusian, African, Latin American, Arabic and Indian traditions. His unique artistry led to many exciting and successful collaborations with other open-minded players like Rabih Abou-Khalil, Michael Riessler, Dhafer Youssef, Nguyên Lê, Gérard Marais, Pedro Soler, Cheb Mami and Michel Godard.

Garcia-Fons was born in the Paris region in 1962 into an artistic household. Yet being of Catalonian origin, Garcia-Fons' affinity for Spanish and oriental culture is understandable. In the early 80s he enrolled at the Conservatoire de la Ville de Paris, where he studied with Jean-Pierre Logerrot. From 1987 to 1993 he was part of the unique French all-bass ensemble L'Orchestre de Contrebasses before starting his journey as a soloist that led to his instrument's full emancipation. "I have developed a new language for it," says Garcia-Fons, "so it appears to be a Spanish guitar by imitating the rasgueado in one moment, then sounding like the guembri, the bass instrument of the Berbers, or again it can sing like a viola or a Persian violin."

Andy Kaufman of U.S magazine "Rhythm" wrote: "Repeated listening only affirms that Garcia-Fons' command of orchestration, expert musical penmanship and profound skills as an instrumentalist place him in an echelon truly deserving of the accolade 'genius.'"

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