Alain Caron (born May 5, 1955) is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bassist. 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 (August 11, 1946 – December 8, 2009) 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 c ...

and by attending a summer session at Berklee College of Music. Caron is a founding member of the jazz fusion band

UZEB UZEB is a Canadian jazz fusion band from Montreal, Quebec who were active from 1976 to 1992, and reunited in November 2016. The members are Alain Caron (bass guitar), Michel Cusson (guitar), and Paul Brochu ( drums). The band won a number of Can ...

. In 1993, Caron began releasing albums as ''Le Band''. He has also recorded with

Leni Stern Leni Stern (born 28 April 1952) is a German jazz guitarist and singer. Early life Stern was born Magdalena Thora, in Germany on 28 April 1952. She was interested in music from an early age, beginning piano studies at the age of six and takin ...

and with

Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include "People Gotta Move" (1974), "I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), "Living Inside Myself" (1981) an ...

Discography

*''Caron - Ecay - Lockwood'' (1992) *''Le Band'' (1993) *''Rhythm 'n Jazz'' (1995) *''Play'' (1997) *''Call Me Al'' (2000) *''5'' (2003) *''Conversations'' (2007) *''Sep7entrion'' (2010) *''Multiple Faces'' (2013)

Books

*''Rhythm 'n Jazz – Ultimate Play-Along for Bass: Jam With Alain Caron and His Band Le Band'' (1998) *''Play – Ultimate Play-Along for Bass: Jam With Alain Caron and His Band Le Band'' (1999)

Instrument

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

Awards and distinctions

Félix Award The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' ( ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian ...

s for both "Group of the Year" and "Jazz Album of the Year". *With Uzeb, the

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

, presented at the 1991

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fes ...

. *On August 30, 2007, the University of Quebec at Rimouski ( UQAR), presented an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

to Caron. * Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

.Order of Canada list announced: A guide to who’s being honoured
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caron, Alain 1955 births 20th-century Canadian bass guitarists 21st-century Canadian bass guitarists Canadian jazz bass guitarists Canadian jazz composers Félix Award winners Jazz fusion musicians Living people Male jazz composers Musicians from Quebec People from Bas-Saint-Laurent Male bass guitarists 20th-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian male musicians