In Front and Center, Yonnet orients listeners to the musical capabilities of the harmonica by keeping much of the music familiar, covering songs like Boogie On Reggae Woman, Days of Wine and Roses, For the Love of You, What a Wonderful World and God Bless the Child. Yonnet and his five-piece band perform original treatments of the jazz standard as well as two original tunes written in collaboration with French harmonicist and composer Michel Herblin.

Yonnet works double-time playing both the lead melody and some of the background rhythms in Boogie On Reggae Woman. Rounding out the sound is Vince Evans on keys, Michael Bowie, bass, Stan Cooper, guitar and Jay Nichols, drums.

Yonnet calls on his friends in Paris to cook up his version of Days of Wine and Roses. Madagascan guitarist Michel Randrianarisoa, Senegalese percussionist Amadou N’Gome and Frenchman Patrick Ferbac combined shuffling, up-tempo workouts with African, Latin and European rhythms to give some “Afropean spice” to this jazz standard.

Yonnet is fearless in his bluesy, high energy and moving interpretation of the Billy Holiday classic God Bless the Child. He instrumentally croons the lyrics while organist Evans adds soul and bassist Dave Dyson carries the bottom.

The timing and carefree spirit of the originals tunes seem to salute Yonnet’s French Creole culture. Eden Legrand, starts slow and builds to an intense and funky groove, while ArtSpace 2.0 has a jazzy, reggae beat. The title for his first, self produced sampler CD, titled, Blowing Your Mind in Every Key of the Harp! was inspired by audiences responses to Yonnet’s live recording of Amazing Grace, a soulfully paced, fearlessly improvised, spirit-filled blues.

“Amazing Grace was actually a ‘jam’ recorded live at a church in Los Angeles,” said Yonnet. “I had never played with the musicians before but once we connected, it became very powerful.” Unbeknownst to Yonnet, the song was recorded and, when amplified over the church PA following the service, Yonnet was double blessed because the moment had been preserved. Amazing Grace prompted the sampler CD that was ultimately renamed and released as Front & Center.