Sound, Spirit, and the Art of the Double Bass

Brice Soniano (born 1979, Narbonne, France) is a double bassist and composer whose distinctive sound transcends traditional musical boundaries. His work weaves together elements of jazz, classical, and experimental music into compositions that feel both intimate and expansive.

Brice’s music has until now been accessible in the form of improvisation, most often. Recently, a page has been turned with a change of consistency, with composition now taking up the greater part of his attention and inviting him to develop his own projects.

Some encounters take the form of life projects. The one with Joachim Badenhorst gave birth to the duo Rawfishboys.

The recently titled Out of the Wild is the result of over twenty years of maturation—and several albums—with pianist Harmen Fraanje and drummer Toma Gouband. Saxophonist Ben Sluijs is another constant, either in a duo or in a trio with pianist Christian Mendoza—3/4 Peace.

Brice graduated from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands, where he studied under double bassists Hein Van de Geyn and Knut Guettler, and composer Cornelis de Bondt. He continued his studies with a population of Baka pygmies in the equatorial forest between Cameroon and Gabon.

Brice plays as a soloist with the Orchestre National de Montpellier for the creation of the opera Jetzt by composer Mathis Nitschke (2012) and finds himself on prestigious stages (Copenhagen Opera House, Tel Aviv Opera House, Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Het Concertgebouw Bruges, Opéra de Lille, etc.) and on major festivals (Montreux Jazz Festival, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Le Poisson Rouge in New York, Mexico City, Panama, Ljubljana Jazz Festival, etc.) sometimes playing with legendary musicians such as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Philippe Catherine, Ernst Reijseger, Michael Moore, Charles Gayle, Stan Sandell, Mark Dresser, etc.

In 2009, before leaving the Netherlands, he founded The Hague Ethospheric Orchestra, an ensemble of 18 musicians for which he composed the music and which he conducted during the creation.

In 2018, his collaboration with the Belgian singer An Pierlé allowed him to continue conducting. First invited to participate in a project on Hadewijg – a 13th-century mystic – with the Gregorian ensemble Psallentes at the Ma early music festival in Bruges, then to create the Youth Opera ALICE in 2021 at De Singel (Antwerp) where he met Wouter Van Looy of Muziektheater TRANSPARANT who asked him to create and conduct LABYRINT the following year.

Musical Identity

Soniano’s music is characterized by its poetic sensibility and ritualistic qualities. His approach to the double bass is unique—particularly his bowing technique, which utilizes rhythmic and melodic elements rather than merely textural ones. This distinctive style emerged from years of dedicated practice and spiritual exploration, blending technical precision with improvisational freedom.

What truly sets Soniano’s music apart is its spiritual depth. Influenced by his time living with the Baka Pygmies in Cameroon’s rainforests, his compositions often explore the healing connection between music, nature, and ritual. His work frequently balances silence with sound, creating meditative spaces that invite listeners into contemplative engagement.

Notable Projects

Soniano’s musical vision comes alive through several significant projects:

• Solo Works: His albums “Beyond Time” (2012) and “Adagio Assai” (2019) showcase his masterful command of the double bass as a complete instrument capable of rich expression.
• Out of the Wild: A collaboration with pianist Harmen Fraanje and percussionist Toma Gouband that merges double bass textures with field recordings and nature-inspired soundscapes. Their album “Shades of Blue” (2014) exemplifies this organic approach.
• Rawfishboys: His duo with reed player Joachim Badenhorst explores improvisational territories through albums like “Fengling” and “The White Starline” (both 2016).
• ¾ Peace
  : This trio with Ben Sluijs and Christian Mendoza balances composition and improvisation with remarkable sensitivity.

Musical Approach

Soniano approaches music as a spiritual practice. His daily work with the bow resembles meditation—a constant search for balance between technical control and intuitive expression. He draws inspiration from diverse sources, including Baka Pygmy music, Persian classical traditions, and contemporary experimental techniques.

His compositions often function as “rituals for Peace
,” creating sonic environments that invite listeners into states of presence and connection. This approach stems from his transformative experiences in Africa, where he discovered that music must be nourished by real life experiences rather than existing in isolation.

Current Work

Currently based at Earthwise Residency in Denmark with his wife Christine Fentz, Soniano continues collaborating with artists who share his commitment to musical exploration. His work remains dedicated to expressing human experience through sound that transcends genre and cultural boundaries.

Essential Recordings

• Adagio Assai – Solo double bass (Astropi)
• Beyond Time – With Nelson Veras, Toma Gouband, and others (Astropi)
• Shades of Blue – Fraanje/Soniano/Gouband (Astropi, 2014)
• Fengling – Rawfishboys with Joachim Badenhorst (D.E.W.E.R.F, 2016)
• 3/4 Peace
  – With Ben Sluijs and Christian Mendoza (El Negocito Records, 2012)