For years, the Paris-based classical fusion phenom has enthralled European audiences in performance settings ranging from solo bass to full orchestra. Over the last few, Garcia-Fons has concentrated on intimate trio performances, touring with a flamenco guitarist and percussionist to support his latest release, the exquisitely produced CD/DVD Arcoluz. On a rare tour of the United States last October, Renaud and his trio visited the campus of the University of California, Davis, giving attendees the chance to see one of today’s most exciting—if underappreciated—upright masters.

Offstage, Garcia-Fons appears soft-spoken, unassuming, and warm. On the mic, his voice rarely rises above a whisper. Neither his hands nor his overall stature seem particularly imposing, and next to his magnificent upright, Renaud seems to embody civility and poise. His playing can be similarly refined, but take warning: In an instant, the bass of Renaud Garcia-Fons can rip your head off.

Singing Arco

Of all the vivid colors of Renaud’s expansive sonic palette, his arco playing rises above. By any measure, it’s fluid and faultless. Renaud’s intonation is impeccable, even reaching warp speed at the upper reaches of his extended fingerboard. Weaving effortlessly in and out of bowed overtones, his singing arco is gorgeous, often evoking cello and viola—but not in Renaud’s mind. “The bass sounds entirely different from other instruments,” says the 45-year-old composer. “And that difference is wonderful.”

Renaud’s primary inspiration for arco, and indeed all his bass playing, comes from his bass mentor, the legendary François Rabbath. “He is a pioneer of arco technique,” says Renaud. “He created a solo voice for the bass.” Garcia-Fons’s other musical influences come primarily from Spain, the classics, and world music, but also rock, jazz fusion, and straight-ahead jazz. Other acoustic bassists he admires include Scott LaFaro, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, and Edgar Meyer. Though Renaud plays no electric, he gets inspiration from Jaco (ghost-notes and chords) and Steve Swallow, with whom he has performed. “There’s something deep and pure about Steve; the music, not virtuosity, comes first.” Like Swallow, Renaud rarely lets loose with conventional bebop lines, and unlike most jazzers, he isn’t ashamed to work out predetermined themes for his solos, especially for recording. “I like my compositions to have a storyline, and having an idea of how to start a solo is good for this.”

Flamenco Pizz

For pizzicato, Renaud often plays the lower strings with the tips of his right-hand fingers (rather than the sides, as most jazz pluckers do), allowing him to approximate flamenco guitar technique and sound. Renaud’s three-finger right-hand technique, similar to the approach of Miroslav Vitous and Gary Willis, facilitates octave jumps, tremolos, fast scales, and rolling chords. 

Renaud also uses his sleight of hand to transform his bass into a hand drum, extracting low-pitched dum sounds by pounding his right-hand heel or cupped palm on the bass top. Garcia-Fons produces higher-pitched tek sounds by tapping his fingertips around the edges of the bass body. But it’s not all thrashing; Renaud’s subtle left-hand technique allows for the most soulful bends, glissandos, and vibrato you’ll ever hear.

The Big Sound

Live, Renaud’s bass sounds massively fat yet clean. Low notes shake the room to its core, but clarion double-stops and chords float above the fray. The secret, says Renaud, is threefold: a great luthier, proper bass setup, and good technique.

Garcia-Fons’s economy of motion allows faster execution and reduces the risk of repetitive stress injuries. Instead of plucking or bowing every note, he employs plenty of left-hand hammer-ons and pull-offs. For the most dazzling displays of speed, he often triple- or quadruple-bows the same note. “My playing doesn’t involve brute strength,” Renaud confides. “For example, I use the weight of my arm, rather than just muscle power, to help dig in with the bow.” Renaud stands when playing, but he leans the instrument back more than many players, which places the weight of his right arm directly over the fingerboard.

Extremely low string action, particularly on the G and C strings, facilitates Renaud’s fancy fingerboard work. It results in a fair amount of string buzz for upper-register pizzicato—à la Miroslav—but it’s a big part of the sound Garcia-Fons is after. “I like an expressive, sustained sound, like a lute or flamenco guitar. For this I need both low string tension and low string height.”

On tour, Renaud uses a Boss SE-70 multi-effect with a Yamaha MIDI foot controller to add reverb to solos and, at other times, chorus, delay, and pitch shift (often for octaves, 4ths, and 5ths). In the studio, Renaud records completely dry and adds effects only during the mix, even for the bowed “rock guitar” solo on “Wadi Rum,” from 2002’s Navagatore. “If the sound system is set up correctly, about the only thing I need is a good Neumann mic for the bass and two direct signals from my effects. In Europe, I have my own sound engineer, so that’s never a problem. Elsewhere, if I run into an engineer who hasn’t heard my music, I might say to him, ‘Forget this is a bass. It’s a cello.’”

Hugely popular in Europe, Renaud stays busy touring as well as writing, arranging, and producing his own recordings. Just to stay even, at home he’ll practice something like Bach for a few hours a day. To progress further, Garcia-Fons practices another hour or two a day. “But the live experience is very intense. An hour there equals three hours of practice. It’s the best learning experience.”

CURRENTLY SPINNING

Perotin, The Hilliard Ensemble [ECM]
Estrella Morente, Mi Cante y un Poema [Virgin]
Ostad Elahi, Celestial Dances [Chant du Monde]
“These three recordings have, for me, one very important thing in common: spirit. This is what I search for in music.”

GEAR

Basses Two 41 1/2"-scale Jean Auray 5-string uprights (one with a removable neck), tuned EADGC
Strings E: Thomastik Spiracore weich; ADG: Thomastik Spiracore solo, tuned down one whole-step; C: Pirastro flat chromosteel
Bows Aubagneur-Bergeron
Rosin Pop’s, aged ten years
Pickups Hubert Liegeois (live and recording), Fishman Full Circle (recording, mixed 15% for arco, 25–50% for pizz)
Rig Stereo power amp, two Bose 802 loudspeakers, two wedge monitors
Effects Boss SE-70 multi-effect, T.C. Electronic G-force, Lexicon MPX500 reverb, Lexicon JamMan stereo looper, Boss RC-50 looper
Recording mics Sennheiser MKH 800 12" in front of bridge, plus Neumann KM 184 or Schoeps CM5 cardio head at middle of bass

LAYER CAKE

How many basses can you cram onto one track? Typically, Renaud layers using just two: one arco and one pizz. One notable exception is “Sareban,” from 2004’s Entremundo. Renaud estimates it has between 20 and 25 bass tracks!

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

As a leader (all on Enja)
Arcoluz, 2006
Entremundo, 2004
Navagatore, 2002
Fuera, 2001
Oriental Bass, 1998
Alborea, 1996