Alain Caron is a French Canadian

French Canadian

French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

.

The youngest of 11 children, Caron started playing bass at age 11 and began pursuing jazz at age 15. His musical skills were formalised by correspondence lessons with the jazz improvisation teacher, Charlie Banacos

Charlie Banacos

Charlie Banacos was an American pianist, composer, author and educator, concentrating on jazz.Banacos created over 100 courses of study for improvisation and composition. His concepts of teaching and his courses influenced educators since the late 1950s...

, and by attending a summer session at Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

.

He is a former member of Uzeb

Uzeb

UZEB was a Canadian jazz fusion band from Montreal, Quebec, who were active from 1976 to 1992. The members were Alain Caron , Michel Cusson , and Paul Brochu . UZEB had a blend of skilled playing and modern synthesized timbres, along with an emphasis on original compositions...

 (with Michel Cusson guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and Paul Brochu drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s) that was active from 1976 to 1992.

In 1993, Caron began releasing concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

s as Le Band

He has also been a session musician

Session musician

Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

 with Leni Stern

Leni Stern

Leni Stern is an electric guitarist, and singer. She was interested in music from an early age, beginning piano studies at the age of six and taking on the guitar age of eleven...

 and with Gino Vannelli

Gino Vannelli

Gino Vannelli is an Italian-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician and composer.-Early years:Born in Montreal, Quebec, Vannelli is one of three sons born to Russ and Delia Vannelli. Russ, his father, was a big band musician. As a child, Gino's greatest passion was music, and he began playing...

.

Discography

• Le Band - 1993
• Rhythm ´n Jazz - 1995
• Play - 1997
• Call Me Al - 2000
• 5 - 2003
• 5 Live - 2006
• 5 Live (DVD) - 2006
• Conversations - 2007
• Sep7entrion - 2010

Books

• Rhythm 'n Jazz - Ultimate Play-Along for Bass: Jam With Alain Caron and His Band Le Band (1998) ISBN 0-9684633-1-2 ISBN 978-0-9684633-1-4
• Play - Ultimate Play-Along for Bass: Jam With Alain Caron and His Band Le Band (1999) ISBN 0-9684633-1-2 ISBN 978-0-9684633-1-4

Instrument

Luthier George Furlanetto of F Bass in Hamilton, Ontario, has built basses for Alain for 20 years. Furlanetto worked together with Caron to develop the F Bass Alain Caron model (AC6), which has the tone of a solidbody fretless with the dynamic characteristics of an acoustic guitar.

Awards and distinctions

• Felix awards for both "Group of the Year" and "Jazz Album of the Year".
• With Uzeb, the Oscar Peterson
  Oscar Peterson
  Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
  
   Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the 1991 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
• On August 30, 2007, the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), decreed an honorary doctorate to Alain Caron.

External links

• Europe Jazz Network Bio page
• The International Institute of Bassists - CV and discography
• Alain Caron - official website
• Honorary doctorate to Alain Caron by the University of Quebec at Rimouski (in French)
• An Interview With Alain Caron, 10/01/2007
• Alain Caron interview with Anil Prasad of Innerviews