Alain Caron, Thursday, Sept. 3 at the Festi Jazz de Rimouski

M Media jazz
Jul 2
2 min read

FESTI JAZZ DE RIMOUSKI - Alain Caron, Thursday, Sept. 3 at 9 p.m. Salle Desjardins

The career of bassist Alain Caron begins at the age of 11 when he participates in an amateur competition. He then joined various groups to play popular top 40 music and American and French standards. At the age of 14, he was introduced to an Oscar Peterson record and he discovers the music that will become his greatest passion: Jazz.

It was in 1977 that Alain Caron met Michel Cusson and his group. Caron is then in the company of musicians of the same caliber that can appreciate the foundations of jazz while having the will to innovate. They emerged in 1980, by founding the fusion jazz group UZEB.

In Montreal, in addition to playing with the band, Alain Caron began working in different recording studios and performing in jazz clubs. Although he considered himself a self-taught musician, he followed a few private and correspondence courses before he went at the Berklee College of music in 1979. During his time in Boston, he was put in touch with jazz elite musicians and began playing in Boston’s jazz clubs with David Kikovsky, Tom Harrell, Sal Nestico, Frank Tiberi, Jerry Bergonzi and Bob Moses.

However, he decided to return to Montreal to devote himself almost exclusively to UZEB. The group will record ten albums between 1981 and 1990. Over 400 000 copies will be sold worldwide, with countless concerts in more than 20 countries. In April 2005, he was invited to participate in a series of performances and recordings with the prestigious WDR big band in Cologne,Germany, under the direction of Michael Abene.

To date, Alain Caron has published more than 20 records, either solo or with the UZEB group, in addition to collaborating to some 50 albums of artists evolving as much in jazz, world music and pop artists. Winner of several awards, including 11 Félix, Gemini and the Oscar-Peterson Award twice, Alain Caron was voted best bassist eight consecutive years by jazz report magazine.

Caron quickly developed a reputation as a master electric six string bass virtuoso. As such, he was invited to give master classes in most major cities worldwide.