Jean Baudin
“Solace”
www.jeanbaudin.comIf you’re a peruser of bass forums online, you may have heard of California’s Jean Baudin.  There are pictures of his amazing extended range basses all over the internet (as well as great clips of him playing video game theme songs on youtube).  Jean plays an array of 9, 11 & 12 string basses by various luthiers…  all of them are beautiful and beg the question, “How in the WORLD can he play that?!”.  The answer is, “very well, actually!”  Utilizing a combination of tapping, slapping and finger style playing, Jean is able to sound like a bass & guitar duet.  He has wonderful tone and very musical sensibilities.  His new solo disc, “Solace” is an impressive collection of solo bass tracks (no overdubs!).  I’ve seen Jean play and it is pretty amazing to watch.  Generally speaking, the solo bass thing is usually (musically speaking) “more show than go” with some obvious exceptions (Manring, etc..).  Not with Jean, tho.  His writing is harmonically intriguing, technically proficient and (above all) very musical!  Bottom line, this is really emotive and interesting music regardless of how many people are involved or what instruments he’s using.  Some may close their minds once they hear the words “12 string bass” and “tapping” together.  Don’t do it, listen first as this music is wonderful.