Olivier Babaz Archives - Page 2

Olivier Babaz is working on an album focusing on his specialty of mixing bass and kalimba. He sent us this video for the song “Bim Maloya,” in which he plays both instruments while employing 12/8 & 9/8 rhythms from Réunion Island.

French bassist/composer Olivier Babaz has released his third album, . Paris-born and now Montreal-based, Babaz usually focuses on working with small, acoustic jazz ensembles, but this 11-song album straddles the line between jazz and acoustic rock. Babaz’s previous recordings include the Akoz Duo record La Lune de Kala and his own Midnight Cafeine. This latest album finds Babaz working with...

There’s something very satisfying about the combination of bass and kalimba. Olivier Babaz plays both simultaneously (not to mention a foot shaker) in this chilled out rendition of the Jaco Pastorius tune “Teen Town.” Talk about coordination!

Olivier Babaz continues to amaze me with each video he puts out. His specialty is playing upright bass and kalimba simultaneously, and this time he’s putting the combo to use on The Police’s “Message in a Bottle.” Impressive!

Bassist Olivier Babaz has released his first trio album entitled Midnight Cafeine. Featuring pianist Sylvain Ransy and drummer Mark Nelson, the 10-track effort includes lots of creative interplay between the musicians. Babaz, who composed all the songs on Midnight Cafeine, utilizes both upright and electric basses throughout the album to create unique textures in the soundscape. “[My] electric bass playing...

Olivier Babaz is a bassist who pushes his technique to expand his musicality, even if it means playing several instruments at once. The bassist first caught our attention in a video where he plays bass, kalimba, and shaker all at the same time. Born and raised in Paris, Babaz moved to Canada in 2010. Besides working on his own music,...

Talk about multi-tasking! French bassist Olivier Babaz shared this video with us in which he plays a reduced version of his piece “Midnight Caffeine” on his bass while simultaneously playing chords on his kalimba. The two instruments create a really cool texture while a prerecorded egg shaker keeps time.