Renaud Garcia-Fons was born December 24, 1962 in Paris, France. He is a double bass phenomenon of Spanish-French origin who studied classical music and received an advanced degree from the Conservatoire da la Ville de Paris.
Renaud Garcia-Fons is one of the border-crossing virtuosos equally at home with contemporary classical music, jazz and traditional music. His bass has an ear open to the sounds of Andalusia, the Orient and the Occident, developing genuine World Music.
Garcia-Fons has grown into a highly reputable musician for his breathtaking technique and intonation as well as his talent as a composer. A dazzling performer on five strings, he uses his instrument’s entire range, thus dominating the music and making the bowed double bass sound rather like a cello or a violin. When listening to his percussive speed pizzicato or his sweeping arco flageolets, the breadth of his capabilities becomes evident immediately.
As a composer Garcia-Fons likes to take the listener on a gypsy’s journey through the Mediterranean area, especially Andalusia (Spain), then Brittany, Latin America, India, the Arab world and even into European classical music of the past. Although incorporating influences from far and wide, his compositions are always focused and efficient and keep to the spirit of charming chamber music.
He has collaborated with Dhafer Youssef on 1999’s Malak (Enja Records); Gianluigi Trovesi Nonet on Round About A Midsummer’s Dream (Enja Records, 2000); Antonio Placer, Paulo Bellinati and Jorge Trasante on Nomades D’Ici (Le Chant du Monde, 2000); Nguyên Lê on Three Trios (ACT Music, 1997), Bakida (ACT Music, 2000) and Fragile Beauty (ACT Music, 2008); Gerardo Núñez on Jazzpaña II (ACT Music, 2000), Kudsi Erguner on Islam Blues (ACT Music, 2001) and David Peña Dorantes on Paseo A Dos (E-Motive Records, 2015).
Discography:
Légendes (Enja Records, 1992)
Alboreá (Enja Records, 1995)
Suite Andalouse, with Pedro Soler (Al Sur, 1995)
Oriental Bass (Enja Records, 1997)
Fuera, with Jean-Louis Matinier (Enja Records, 1999)
Acoustic Songs, with Gérard Marais (Label Hopi, 2000)
Navigatore (Enja Records, 2001)
Entremundo (Enja Records, 2004)
Arcoluz (Enja Records, 2006)
La Linea Del Sur (Enja Records, 2009)
Méditerranées (Enja Records, 2010)
Solo – The Marcevol Concert (Enja Records, 2012)
Beyond The Double Bass (Enja Records, 2013)
Silk Moon, with Derya Türkan (e-motive Records, 2014)
La Vie Devant Soi (E-motive Records, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
