All sounds you will hear on this CD were generated by Renaud García-Fons on the double bass. Some titles are strict solo bass, some have added loops, pre-recorded electronics and percussive sounds made by finger tapping or slapping. The thematic material oscillates between Orient and Occident, Africa and Latin America and between medieval and modern music. García-Fons lives his dream to present the bass as an instrument with an all-encompassing voca-tion, an instrument of beauty and many-sided possibilities which should be brought to an audible and visible level. The priory of Marcevol situated high up in the French Pyrenees proved to be the perfect spot for such an endeavour. Well balanced acoustics and an inspiring spirituality presented an invitation to take an “imaginary journey through time and space” which touches the Orient (Jey-hounabad), the middle ages (Marcevol), Africa (Kalimbass),South America (Yupanqui) and the baroque period (Hacía Compostela)…
“My first encounter with the double bass was at age 16, it was love on first sight. I thought immedi-ately that the bass would offer an approach not just to classical music and jazz but to the universal language of music. After five years of intense learning with Jean-Piere Logerot and the great Francois Rabbath I began to travel, to explore and to investigate other musical cultures building up my own technique out of the experiences I made. I added a high fifth string to perfect the range of the bass without risking the authentic sound.“
Renaud García-Fons has made a spectacular career in the last years. Exposure in his native France was soon followed by concerts tours through Germany, Italy, Turkey, the UK – more or less all over Europe. North America came next where he does his 5th tour this year including again the Montreal Festival in Canada. Just before the US he will play at the four leading Australian fes-tivals and possibly in China.
The accompanying DVD is a state-of-the-art production filmed with 5 HD cameras directed by seasoned pro Nicolas Dattilesi. It shows the full concert at Marcevol and an interview with García-Fons in french subtitled in English, Spanish and German and a short bonus film.
