RENAUD GARCIA-FONS « BLUE MAQAM »

Photo : Alexandre Lacombe

As often in the world of a double bassist, the cultures from the Mediterranean rim have a special place, but the path also crosses Persia and, more unexpected, Ireland, insularity oblige ! “Blue Maqam” gives voice to eight languages sung, a little Babel, in which  Renaud’s and Solea’s lyrics conjure up emotional landscapes in haiku style. At the heart of the music lies the combination double bass / voice; the voice of Solea Garcia-Fons, a première since she is Renaud’s daughter, but also because vocals have long been absent from his world. And here, the blades of Stéphan Caracci’s vibraphone (who also plays the marimba bass during Renaud’s light incursions), along with Jean-Luc Di Fraya’s percussions draw a canvas quite suitable for Garcia-Fons’s flights of fancy. The double bassist appears as one of the magicians of the current jazz scene, one of its most captivating guides. The instrumentalist is among those who have regularly  pulled the river out of its bed,  distorted the jazz own language in order to enhance it with the scent of faraway fragrances. The expressiveness of his playing surprises when one knows the usual range of the instrument, here fitted with a fifth string in the high notes; an unheard-of orchestral world springs up under his nimble, mischievous fingers. The whole sounds like a bold universalist plea, considering the clouds looming over the horizon.

Line-up :
Renaud Garcia-Fons – Double Bass, Compositions
Soléa Garcia-Fons – Voice
Stéphane Caracci – Vibraphone, Marimba
Jean Luc Di Fraya – Drums, Percussion

REDUCED PRICE : For more information, please contact the Opéra de Limoges – Grand Théâtre : 05 55 45 95 95 / billetterie@operalimoges.fr