Renaud Garcia-Fons?

nicklloyd · #1 09-10-2003, 04:52 PM

A friend just hipped me to this urb/accordian duet cd titled "Fuera". Anybody seen Mr. Garcia-Fons in concert? All I know is he is Rabbath school, which isn't much of a surprise...

Alex Scott · #2 09-10-2003, 06:57 PM

Does anyone have any of the duet albums with gerard marais, gtr?

godoze · #3 09-10-2003, 09:11 PM

I love Garcia-Fons; He is one amzing player. I have seen him in concert in France. I do not think he has toured the states yet, has hee ?

pedro · #4 09-12-2003, 02:44 PM

Yeah I got turned on to Renaud a couple of months ago and have been hooked ever since. Amazing musician/bass player. Sure wish he'd tour the U.S.

FWIW, get his album 'Oriental Bass' I like it much better than 'Fuera', and I LOVE that album too.

pedro · #5 09-12-2003, 02:51 PM

[I love Garcia-Fons; He is one amzing player. I have seen him in concert in France. I do not think he has toured the states yet, has hee ?

How 'bout some details for those of us less fortunate.

tunnelworld · #6 09-22-2003, 08:35 PM

I saw Renaud at the Knitting Factory in NYC in the summer of 1999. He was performing at the French Music Festival that is held there every year. He played SOLO and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. He played cuts from his album Oriental Bass with an echoplex layering all the parts live and in real time.

If you want more of his stuff check out the Enja record label. Look for the albums
Legendes - solo bass
Alborea - quartet
Oriental Bass and Navigatore - large ensemble.
He also appears as a side man on Ngyuen Le's Album on ACT called 3 Trio's.

He is one of the most impeccable players I have come across in recent years.

pedro · #7 09-23-2003, 08:02 AM

tunnelworld thanks for the info ~ it must have really been something to have seen him live. Did you know about him before hand or was he a wonderful surprise? Anyway, you have no idea how envious I am.

I got turned on to Renaud a few months ago by someone in another forum who said he made Edgar Meyer sound like a beginner. The statement was obviously not meant literally but rather as a way to describe RGF immense talents ~ it definitely caught my attention and I checked him out and was hooked. I immediately went out and bought 'Oriental Bass' and 'Fuera' along with Silvania DeLuigi's 'Loca' (BTW, she's also wonderful).

I strongly encourage anyone interested in great playing and great music to chase down some of Renaud's CD's.

Aren · #8 09-23-2003, 10:53 AM

WOW-......

Thanks for the heads up.

tunnelworld · #9 09-23-2003, 07:11 PM

Yeah everyone who is into the Upright bass should be checking out Renaud. I was turned on to him by some of my bass buddies here in Minneapolis. His website is http://www.renaud-garcia-fons.com/. It is mostly in French but there is a link to an English mirror site but there is very little content there.
Anybody know any French bassists or Frech speakers who want to do some translating?

tunnelworld · #10 09-23-2003, 07:15 PM

ohh yeah to answer your question pedro

-
I went to the show specifically to see Renaud. I saw his set and then hopped the train back to Brooklyn for an Art gallery gig with my band Motion Poets. I had about 15 minutes to set up my gear but the guys in the band knew how much I was into Renaud and so they were cool. Thank God for understanding music nerd friends!

CB

Johnny L · #11 10-23-2003, 10:41 AM

My oh my, Fuera really is an awesome recording.

pedro · #12 10-23-2003, 10:46 AM

You ain't kidding Johnny L. I prefer 'Oriental Bass' but both are unbelievably good.

Paul Warburton · #13 10-24-2003, 04:14 AM

After checking Renauds web site (thanks Tunnelworld) I find it curious that none of you who have seen and heard him fail to say anything about his five strings?
Does anyone know his tuning? Low B ? High C?

Johnny L · #14 10-24-2003, 06:59 AM

I think having 5 strings is great and an even better idea than using an extention...if for no other reason than to have one more string to ring sympathetically with some note that's being played.

Looks like he uses Spiros too...red hot Spiros.

Paul Warburton · #15 10-24-2003, 07:12 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Johnny L
[b]I think having 5 strings is great and an even better idea than using an extention...if for no other reason than to have one more string to ring sympathetically with some note that's being played.

I play a five string DB with a low B..I'm confused about the above statement..can you clarify?

pedro · #16 10-24-2003, 09:02 AM

I'm of the opinion that a 5th string for Renaud is an unfair advantage. In fact, I believe Renaud should be required to play with a 'handicap' to level the playing field. 2 strings.

olivier · #17 10-24-2003, 09:21 AM

In answer to Paulo: I think RGF uses a high C, from listening to the recordings, he is way up there, with lotsa vibrato and reverb. I've herd also he's an adept of the bent end pin which allows a better stance.

Johnny L · #18 10-24-2003, 11:30 AM

Quote:

..can you clarify?

I was meaning to say that if I was stopping a note on another string with the B string just hanging there waiting to be played and my stopped note was a B (for example), then that low B string would start vibrating sympathetically.

I like when my open strings vibrate sympathetically with my stopped notes...it's like I've got a reverb knob on my bass and the notes in general sound bigger to me. It's fun with the bow, anyway.

Quote:

he's an adept of the bent end pin which allows a better stance

I found a picture that appeard to have him playing with the bent endpin arrangement Rabbath displays on his instructional CD. It is an advantage that I've watched Paul Ellison, David Neubert, Sandor Ostlund, and Lynn Seaton take in performance down here with great results. They only used 4-stringed instruments, though, and their basses were set up with a Laborie endpin.

Paul Warburton · #19 10-24-2003, 05:16 PM

Look-out, here comes another lecture!
If I were YOUNG again, i'd definitely go for that whole Rabbath deal! In the 70s, for some reason it became hip for bassists to sit on stools. I went for it, and through the years i've learned to actually HANG on my bass. My back is almost shot because of this stupid habit! The bent end-pin displaces the weight of the bass, making your posture straight and defined and also freeing up your left hand to move up and down the board without taking on the weight of the bass. It gives much more clearance for a clean shot at the lowest string with the bow.
Yesiree, if I were young again..........

Marcus Johnson · #20 10-25-2003, 12:10 PM

Have you tried the angled endpin, Paul? I did, on a great bass that I borrowed for some gigs on Oahu. It felt pretty natural to me, even without any Rabbath training. It did free up my left hand somewhat. Not sure if I'd switch to it for good.

P.S. Actually, that was probably a stupid question, since paul has probably tried every variation on the DB that exists..