Hadrien Feraud / John Mclaughlin

[lowdown]

I have seen this guy, and he can play a bit!

Nice chops solo on the second track,
'Raju' from Bassist Hadrien Feraud ...

[url="http://www.myspace.com/johnmclaughlinofficial"]http://www.myspace.com/johnmclaughlinofficial[/url]

Or his my space site.

[url="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=109664162"]http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...endID=109664162[/url]


Garry

[OutToPlayJazz]

Funnily enough I was watching Hardien Feraud on youtube the other day. Seems like a highly musical player. Very fast jazz improv, too. He's being touted as one of the 'next generation', isn't he?

[Thunderthumbs]

Stuck around til the end of the Bass Day in November to see him perform.

To be honest, I'd never heard of him prior to that, but was told by a friend on the day that he was worth hanging around for.

Saw him setting his gear up, heard him soundcheck, and immediately ran out of the theatre to buy his CD. I think he's incredible.

Emailed him a week or so later, and got a really nice reply back. So he's also a nice guy.

Talented, [b]and[/b] a nice guy..........I hate him in every way possible

[Jase]

Didn't John Mclaughlin say something along the lines of...he was the new Jaco??? One or two notes more than Jaco though

[OutToPlayJazz]

Yes, his speed & dexterity looks second to none to me!

[jakenewmanbass]

I'd like to see him live to feel the energy in his playing. While his ability is outstanding, nothing I have heard recorded is exciting me. I like to feel a sort of bristling excitement from players.

[mcgraham]

Jake, that's exactly how I feel about him. Technique is great, I find it really inspiring for practice sake, but it literally appears to be him going flat out all the time with little variation in speed, rhythm, tone, taste etc.

I watched a clip of him with a drummer and either a band or backing track at either Bassday or European Bassday, and it genuinely didn't sound much better than dissonant noise to me. And I enjoy some pretty bizarre bits of music.

Disclaimer: Please don't think I'm bashing Hadrien, or belittling his obvious talent/technical ability simply because I have not achieved it. I recognise the talent, I recognise the ability, and I'm merely saying it doesn't do anything for me, beyond providing some technical inspiration.

Mark

[Bilbo]

I can't look at the videos posted above as I am in work but what I have seen so far of HF is a bit like what I have seen of Matt Garrison. Technique is like acting - if you can see it happening, its not very good!

I have a DVD of Garrison with Herbie Hancock and I really like what he is doing but I bought one if his CDs and found it a bit 'so what?'. The best playing, for me, is that which is fully integrated into good music. Jimmy Johnson, Anthony Jackson, Steve Swallow etc all excel as technicians without drawing attention to themselves. The showboating aspect of players can be a distraction. I will be seeking out some more Feraud before I express a definitive Bilbo opinion but, so far, the YouTube videos are not giving me what I look for.

[Jase]

For me, there's huge Jaco and Weather Report influences, not saying he's a clone though. I've only heard a little of his stuff, his effect use is pretty darn good too.

[Josh]

I've seen quite a few clips of Hadrien jamming with other guys, in particular Marcus Miller, and well Marcus was holding a tight groove (Whats new ) and Hadrien soloing over the top and then trying to hold a groove as well, to me it was just messy and ruined the feel of the groove Marcus was holidng.

And the same for me, with all the hype he's got I can't honestly see the fuss beyond fast fusion licks and Matt Garrisons technique, with respect to the guy though.

Edited August 14, 2008 by Josh

[lowdown]

I have seen him live a couple of times over in Paris.
Just playing in a quintet doing standards.
He knows his way around changes very well, Not just noodling [No fusion licks there]
Not a fake book in sight [ Dont see that very often these days in small gigs]
I dont think a lot of the videos going around these days do him any justice.
He must be doing something right, gets a lot of work.
I can not see him doing a day job for a while..

Garry

Edited August 15, 2008 by lowdown

[mcgraham]

I'd love to see him do something like that. With a bit of taste and restraint coupled with his chops, that could yield a mighty fine performance!

Mark

[Jase]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='262822' date='Aug 14 2008, 10:30 PM']I'd love to see him do something like that. With a bit of taste and restraint coupled with his chops, that could yield a mighty fine performance!

Mark[/quote]

Why do you want to restrain him?

[mcgraham]

By taste and restraint I don't mean that I wish to tie him down and lick him; I mean that what I've heard from him so far shows an imbalance of technique over musicality. I'd like to see him in a group where notes and phrases are more carefully placed.

Mark

[Jase]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='262893' date='Aug 15 2008, 06:41 AM']By taste and restraint I don't mean that I wish to tie him down and lick him; I mean that what I've heard from him so far shows an imbalance of technique over musicality. I'd like to see him in a group where notes and phrases are more carefully placed.

Mark[/quote]

Yeah, I got what you meant but he's young isn't he? Perhaps it's all just coming out, maybe that type of player matures and slows down, maybe we'll see it in a few albums time. I haven't heard or seen much of his stuff so I shouldn't really judge him just yet but already he's making me want to hear more.

[Bilbo]

Trouble is, he is with McLaughlin who is one if the world's worst/most typewriter orientated players - clearly paid on a notes per second basis. Most players sound better away from him!

[Rumble]

Funny that age should be mentioned, because I think that has a fair bit to do with it. The older I've become, the less this style of playing does for me. Sure, it's highly technical and for that Feraud has my admiration, but musically, it does absolutely nothing for me. I really do find it just to be a lot of non-sensical and fairly unmusical noise. Give me groove any day.

[Jase]

I'm fine with players using mind blowing technique....I love it ( I'm 40 ) but what's really special as Rumble mentioned is groove, I need to listen to more but I reckon he's capable of both technique and groove at the same time.

[bassjamm]

I've been following Hadrien's stuff for a year or so now and agree with some of the stuff above i guess.

Credit to him for his work with Mclaughlin...getting the only bass solo spots on Industrial Zen over players like Matt Garrison and Tony Grey is something worth praising.

I've also read other top players opinions of him, one of which highlighted his lack of a 'unique voice'. In some ways i agree with that, but i think that's a good thing. He's very young and relatively new to the scene, yet his abilities are far beyound that of some of the guys many years ahead of him. I think we'll see him become something trully unique and special in times to come.

I do think he has a niche though, he's one of the youngest players this side of the pond getting the big gigs! He's also really approachable and totally excited about music and the bass. And for a guy that did that just listening to records in his bed room, that's inspiring. Give him a few years on the road, maybe a move to a more competitive scene where he'll need to work hard to get the gigs he wants...then i reckon we'll see the Hadrien Feraud that will become one of the modern pioneers!

For now though, it's trully awesome to see that he's out there doing it and willing to be cool about it, not getting head strong or brash about himself or his new found success. He's just a cool, easy going chap who loves playing bass, that's wicked!!!

As a slight side point, his album...even he acknowledges it's failings in some of it's respects, or rather, he's made it known that he wants to do something different and a bit more him. I get the impression that the album was recorded a while before he really got to where he is now, and that he knows he can do something, not better, but perhaps a bit more mature! That's cool i think!

Anyway, i've rambled on enough once again...i should stop coming on here late at night after gigs!!!

J

[obi 2 kenobi]

I saw Hadrien a few times in Paris in the late 90s + early 2000 or so. Didn't know who he was. Only realised a few years ago. Back then he was playing in jam sessions (and still does) at the baiser sale. He had a tendency when I saw him to overplay and play too loud over everyone else.
Last year , as a big fan of McLaughlin, downloaded his live album from his site. Very impressed by Had's playing, use of effects and especially restrained ambient textures on a couple of tracks. Very classy. Great musicianship from everyone on an album not unlike Pangea + Agarta (spelling) from Miles where the instruments blend, change tones, where guitar doesn't sound like guitar, etc

[jakenewmanbass]

As I said earlier I would like to see him live as I'm sure there's a lot to see and feel from him. He's in good company and it's great that people report he is approachable, when the fire of youth settles down he has the chance of turning into an important voice in European jazz.
Just remember though Jaco was 18 when he started playing with Metheney and they had a lot down by then, taste and skill!

[Jase]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='263495' date='Aug 16 2008, 08:42 AM']As I said earlier I would like to see him live as I'm sure there's a lot to see and feel from him. He's in good company and it's great that people report he is approachable, when the fire of youth settles down he has the chance of turning into an important voice in European jazz.
Just remember though Jaco was 18 when he started playing with Metheney and they had a lot down by then, taste and skill![/quote]

True Jakesbass..... as much as I love Jaco and all he did, bass playing and technique has moved on since then, even Jeff Berlin says he doesn't have the technique that players have today. I think it's good for Jazz today to move on too, I reckon he has taste and skill, even if he's only shown us a little..after all, he is a full on Jaco and Weather Report head, so isn't it better he takes it further rather than clone it?

[4000]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='262231' date='Aug 14 2008, 10:41 AM']I like to feel a sort of bristling excitement from players.[/quote]

+1000

[4000]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='262969' date='Aug 15 2008, 11:00 AM']Trouble is, he is with McLaughlin who is one if the world's worst/most typewriter orientated players - clearly paid on a notes per second basis. Most players sound better away from him![/quote]


Each to their own I guess....I also really like Matt G, although I can understand why he wouldn't be some people's cup of tea. Strangely I feel rather the same about Marcus as you do about Matt; I bought a live dvd a year or two back, watched it once, and was completely underwhelmed. Not my thing at all. I've rather gone off most "fusion" - whatever that really means - these days though.....