Meet Gaspard Gabriel | Bassist, Composer, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gaspard Gabriel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gaspard, how do you think about risk?
When I think about risks, I’m first thinking about going somewhere I’m not comfortable in my playing and approach to music. I think it is important to take risks and put myself in danger somehow to reveal what I have to practice and focus on at the moment but also to enable myself to let go and being surprised. I’m a musician but an artist first and taking risks is part of my creative process. I believe mistakes are pure creation. Not knowing is sometimes more beneficial than intellectualizing every note and color. The greatest musician often where able to achieve singularity and innovation through embracing mistakes instead of controlling everything and sound “right”. I’m always trying to adapt that mentality. Taking risks are also related to decision making in life. Back in 2020 I had the choice of either staying in France and keep on working as graphic designer and a session musician or going to the US to attempt Berklee College of Music. The easiest choice would have been to stay in Paris of course but I ended choosing to sacrifice everything to go to Boston and I’ve never regret this decision!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I come from a town in Brittany, France, called Vannes. The music scene wasn’t big there but we had the chance of having a couple of great musicians in town. Dominique Braud was one of them and also my very first bass instructor. There is a Jazz Festival there too where I had the chance to see Marcus Miller and Frederic Monino playing. My family isn’t really musical but my Father was a great amateur of classical and baroque music and we are all somehow artists. Painters, Psychoanalysts, comedians, art directors, designers or tapestry master are the kind of professions that constitute my family. I believe I have inherit of a lot, growing up with an incredible, inspiring family and for that I’m really grateful. When I moved to Paris at my 20s, I started to gig around and play a wide variety of genres such as Jazz, Pop, Soul, House, Brazilian music, Salsa… and I founded an electronic duet with a great artist, producer, keyboard player and friend of mine, Roméo Guillard aka Herson. We recorded and toured together for over 3 years mainly in France but also around. Our band “HS” was really innovative and being a duet (Bass, Keys and Ableton) was so great because we kicked the DJs out to bring live House Music in the clubs! We released two EPs with big hits like “French Riviera”. At that time I was also working as an art director and illustrator so it was really hectic and exciting. I released also an EP called “Asleep”. I have put all my influences and early compositions in this album with a strong taste for funk, fusion and house music. It is over the pandemic that I made the decision to go to Berklee. It’s been such big thing for me to think about going there so when I received the letter of acceptance I had a really difficult decision to make in my life. I decided to leave everything behind and get to the US to work harder and in depth in music. The learning experiences and musicians I met there are amazing. I always have a ton of gigs and recording opportunities there. I’m still working with studios in France and my friend Herson for score music and more personal electronic/avant-garde projects. In that development of my career I’m feeling so grateful for the path and all the amazing experiences I’ve had so far. Right now I’m focusing on my first Album. I’m recording all the greatest musicians around me. Being a producer as well, I’m engineering the sessions, editing and mixing all the takes so it’s a lot of work and I’ve never been so busy. It is amazing to see my skills growing and getting to fruition. I’ve been influenced as a bass player by all the greats of course: Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, John Patituci, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Rocco Prestia, Hadrien Feraud, Alain Caron and so many more ! The electric bass is such a new instrument that we are actually still figuring out what’s going with it! The amount of different approaches nowadays is amazing. People like Thundercat pushes the boundaries of the instrument and it is amazing to see that happening and being somehow part of it. I feel like there was a guitar era in the innovative aspect of it and the way we can play it but right now it is definitely a bass era where people actually notice and listen to the bass.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting Boston, I would go to Isabella Stewart Garden. It is magnificent place, merging European and American history. I would probably schedule something at the incredible Boston Symphony Orchestra and get a table at Uni, an asian fusion Kitchen in Back Bay. Breakfast at the Trident on Newbury St. is mandatory. Boston has a lot to offer historically so I would probably go to the Boston Common as well to end up following the freedom trail. It is a walk in downtown Boston that shows all the great historical places. There a lot of venues to see awesome live music: The Beehive, The Lilypad, the City Winery and Scullers are very nice places.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my mentor Tiger Okoshi. He is one of the greatest musicians and I’ve had the honor to play in his ensemble for 4 years. His compositions and teaching have been more than beneficial and inspiring. Playing his music was a true blessing and an experience I will never forget. More than being a better musician after these years, I believe I’m a better human being.

Website: gaspardgabriel.com

Instagram: @_gaspard.gabriel