Frédéric Yonnet sat down with WRTI-FM’s J. Michael Henderson on Friday, Sept 23 for an hour of music and great conversation. The complete interview will be posted soon.
Tune in as Frédéric Yonnet gets host Trish Hennessey to “reed her lips” on her show Hybrid Jazz from Trish Hennessey on Blogtalkradio. The show tapes live on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011at 2pm and you can call in during the interview to give your question to the host.
Missed it live? Listen here.
“Limitations are in one’s mind, not in the instrument,” said Frédéric Yonnet when WURD-AM talk radio host Al B asked about how people initially respond to the harmonica. “Most people have a preconceived idea of the instrument. They think it’s a side instrument, a toy. What I’m trying to do is expand the way people think about the instrument. That’s why I play it front and center in my band.” Listen to the complete interview here.
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Listen in as WDAS-FM ‘s host Patty Jackson welcomes Frédéric Yonnet to Philly in advance of his Sept 24th show at the Painted Bride in Philadelphia, PA. Listen to the brief interview here:
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About Patty:
A native Philadelphian, Patty Jackson, has “that voice” that is entrenched within Philadelphia. Her diverse radio career has included country, urban and pop formats, including Power 99 FM and Q102. But, her warm and soulful voice found its true home with adult radio listeners on WDAS-FM. Patty is the reigning Queen of Mid-days from 10am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday. Patty’s brand of realness has kept her audience connected throughout her 25-year broadcasting career.
Tune in as radio host Joy Keys features music from Yonnet’s past and current project in advance of his show at the Painted Bride in Philadelphia on Sept 24, 2011. Keys chats with Frédéric Yonnet about his music, life and his quest to totally change the way the world hears the harmonica.
Taped live on Sunday, Sept 18, 2011. Listen in on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/joykeys
by Sriram Gopal | June 7.2011
Traditionally, the harmonica is most commonly associated with the blues or country music. There is the stereotypical image of a disheveled man in a honky-tonk or on a street corner playing a mournful tune about the woman who got away or of life’s travails. Over the past 50 or so years, a handful of musicians have taken the instrument out of this context, and in doing so have charted new musical territories. In the ’50s, Toots Thielmans put the harmonica in the jazz setting. Stevie Wonder’s prodigious skills made the harmonica part of the R&B vocabulary in the 1960s. The pop charts got a heavy dose of the instrument through John Popper and Blues Traveler in the 1990s. The next logical step in this progression comes in the person of Frédéric Yonnet. Synthesizing deep jazz influences, a soulful R&B sound and instantly hummable melodies with a driving hip-hop groove, Yonnet is a harmonica player for the 21st century.
Born to a Parisian father and French-Guyanese Creole mother in Normandy, France, Yonnet’s musical journey began during his teens on the drums. Frustrated by the inability to play melodies, Yonnet switched to the harmonica, an instrument he had been given as a child. Eager to create a more contemporary sound for the mouth harp, he drew from myriad influences to develop a vocabulary on the instrument. His gear includes over 50 different harmonicas and a variety of added electronic effects. When the opportunity arose to move to the United States, he chose the District. Since then, his star has been on the rise and his résumé reads like a “Who’s Who” of music industry giants: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Wyclef Jean and Pharrell Williams are just a few artists who have showcased Yonnet’s talent.
Tune in to WPFW (89.3 FM) on June 2, 2011, from 10:00-10:30 AM, as jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet sits down with “On the Margin” guest host Abdul Ali for a 1/2 hour of music and conversation.
