French bass virtuoso displays Spanish fire

There was no doubt about the focus of attention when bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons’ trio took the stage Sunday night at the Jazz Bakery. With percussionist Pascal Rollando to his left and guitarist Antonio “Kiko” Ruiz at his right, Garcia-Fons made it clear with his first crystalline string of notes that he’s no ordinary bassist, and that this would be no ordinary evening.

Playing a handsome, rich-toned five-string acoustic bass, Garcia-Fons turned in a stunning display of virtuosity. Every aspect of an instrument that so often can seem cumbersome was liberated via his extraordinary technical mastery: stunningly fluid arco playing; crisp pizzicato (often in the form of propulsive walking-bass lines); utter ease with moving harmonics, soaring melodies reaching up into cello and viola range; playful drumming on the resonant wood of his instrument. All of it was done with precise intonation and seemingly effortless articulation.

Garcia-Fons is a musical wonder -- no doubt about that. But he would be a far more engaging performer if his brilliant handiwork was matched by an equally fervent desire to reach past the notes and into the music.

The flaw in his admirably dexterous wizardry was the occasional feeling that pacing and intimacy were too often superseded by fast fingers and deft facility. Many pieces began with a lengthy Garcia-Fons cadenza, followed by his statement of the theme and a set of variations. In most cases, his seeming emphasis on the creation of marvelous technical feats produced awesome results, without having any particular impact on the heart or the emotions.

Although Garcia-Fons is French-born, his Catalonian roots have obviously impacted his creative affinities, with much of the program tinged with the passions of Spanish musical culture, especially during pieces such as “Cristobal,” “Solea 40 Dias” and the buleria “Entre Continentes.”

Relatively brief solo offerings from Ruiz and Rollando added convincing authenticity to many of the selections, with Ruiz, in particular, moving easily from supportive accompaniment to variations rich with the musical fragrance of Gypsy jazz.