DCist.com Interview: Frederic Yonnet
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.
In addition to his busy touring schedule, Yonnet is currently working on his latest solo project, which he describes as a “Reality CD.” Reed My Lips: The Rough Cut is accessible to fans through his web site, where he invites listeners to comment on rough mixes, demos and even sample album artwork. Useful suggestions will be taken into account for Reed My Lips: The Final Mix, which will likely be released later this year.
Yonnet’s next area performance will be in front of tens of thousands on Sunday at Jazz on the National Mall, the centerpiece event of the on-going DC Jazz Festival. DCist interviewed this talented local artist in advance of the show to talk about his career, the latest album and the upcoming concert.
When you started playing the harmonica, what made you aspire for a more non-traditional and contemporary sound?
You know, most people go to the harmonica through the blues. I went to the harmonica through other directions. My first inspirations were, of course, Stevie Wonder and Toots Thielmans. They really don’t fit in the blues genre. So I only listened to a little bit of the blues to understand the techniques and to match the colors and the sounds they were creating with the harmonica. I was not really attracted to the style of music as much. My love for music has always been toward more jazz and fusion. That’s what I gravitate to. I wanted to be a drummer, and the drums is an instrument that is very, very well-emphasized in that kind of music.
In jazz and fusion there obviously aren’t that many harmonica players, so who did you listen to for inspiration as far as trying to adapt your playing to that style?
My drive for musical expression was more driven by people who were playing other instruments — sax players, guitar players, trumpet players, organ players. Jimmy Smith for the organ, Miles Davis for the trumpet, Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix for the guitar, the energy and the psychedelic approach to the style of music, and also Louis Armstrong. Very few harmonica players were really giving me the desire to match their sound. A matter of fact the players I mentioned earlier, Stevie — or Toots, for that matter — they created a style by being the first ones to incorporate the harmonica in those genres of music. But, it was not in my interest to sound like them.
Did you develop your technique by emulating horn players and guitar players, or did you learn how to play the harmonica and then try to put it in different settings?
I’ve been listening to jazz longer than I’ve been playing the harmonica, let’s put it that way. When I heard sentences that would really feel like a punch in the gut from any of those players I mentioned earlier, I would try to then match it with the harmonica, which expanded my techniques and expanded my perspective through the instrument. I realized the limitations of the instrument used in blues and country music were only in the player’s mind and not in the instrument itself. Therefore, I started to move away from those styles and started to stick more to what I enjoyed listening to and, you know, what I’m doing now.
And now you’ve gotten a chance to play with some of your heroes now, like Stevie Wonder. How did those opportunities start coming about?
What was the progression like in your career? It was through relationships, really. Especially in D.C., I had some great feedback and great encouragement from the audience, but it’s really about being in the right place at the right time.
When you say you had great feedback here, what initially brought you to D.C.?
The same thing — relationships. Some friends that I had met in France invited me to come and visit. Some of them had said I would do well in the U.S. and I just decided I would give it a shot and D.C. was, I would say, the most welcoming. Also, there are so many different cultures here. Everybody has always been very welcoming to my style of music. So, it was an easy choice. Who were some of the musicians you played with during those early days when you first came to Washington? It would start with Stanley Cooper, who is the guitar player for the Marcus Johnson band and a lot of different bands around the area. He also plays all over, not just locally. Also Vince Evans, who is a phenomenal keyboard player. Robert Thompson, who was the drummer for James Brown for the past fifteen years until his death. And on and on, Baby Dyson, the Grainger Brothers, Gary and his brother. So, yeah.
What do you thing the strengths of the D.C. scene are? Let’s say you’re in Chicago or San Francisco and people ask you about the scene, what do you tell them?
It is a shame that D.C. is not recognized as a big scene. There is a huge amount of talent here. But first, its strength resides in its community of musicians. It feels like a brotherhood. Everyone supports one another. Just as an example, there was a musician-based fundraiser a couple of months ago, hosted in Adams Morgan, to help a musician have knee surgery. You don’t see that as often in other communities. And it’s through the styles of music, it’s not only through jazz. It’s true for the Latin culture, the jazz culture, the go-go culture. All those musicians really have a lot of love for one another and they support each other in a very, very strong way. They have a lot of respect for one another.
Now let’s switch gears a bit and talk about this on-going recording project. First, what is the concept?
The concept is to share the creative process with the audience. It’s to take the audience through the journey that it takes to record an album, from writing the music, to recording it, to arranging it — sometimes those don’t come in the same order — until the final release. I felt like this is one thing that artists don’t do too often. You know, most of the time — 99 percent of the time — you will have an album that is finished and that is what will be served to you. I’ve always felt like the audience has a strong interest for the process and how things are done. This album was coming together and I thought it was a great opportunity to share it with the audience.
How did the idea come about initially? Is this something you’ve always wanted to do?
I think I’ve always had this desire. Even on stage, I do this very much. I do this with the musicians and with the audience. My performance is always very spontaneous because it comes from the same desire to share the spontaneity of sharing the music together. I’ve always felt that the audience enjoys watching this. It puts a different perspective on things. And also, when people would ask me when the new album was coming out, when we were in the studio, I felt that it was a good time to share it — at the moment when that question was being asked.
Now, the rough cuts of the album are available. For people who want to interact with you, do they just go to your web site?
The rough cut is basically the work in progress. Most of the comments will be gathered through the web site and most of the conversation takes place on fredyonnet.com. People are already putting some very creative input into this music lab.
Let’s finish with a couple questions about your upcoming performance at the DC Jazz Festival. Who will you be playing with?
First of all, I’m extremely happy and extremely excited to be performing on that stage. I want to thank [festival founder and Executive Producer] Charlie Fishman for trusting me to play on that stage, and on top of that playing before [trumpeter] Roy Hargrove, for whom I have a humongous amount of respect. I’ll be playing with D.C.-based musicians. There will be Chris Bynum on drums, also known as “Biscuit,” Dennis Turner on bass, Robbie MacDonald on guitar and Vince Evans on keys.
What can the audience expect from your set?
It’s going to be Fred Yonnet at full power. There’ll be a lot of spontaneity, a lot of energy. It’s hopefully going to expand the way people think about the harmonica. Hopefully, people will not be expecting the traditional blues and will remember that the harmonica can sit in a much broader and much wider variety of styles of music than what they’ve been trained to hear.
VIDEO INSERT: Frédéric Yonnet soloing with Prince in Arras, France:
Frédéric Yonnet & Co. will perform at the DC Jazz Festival’s Jazz on the National Mall concert on Sunday, June 12, 2011. The concert begins at 1 p.m., with Yonnet’s set scheduled for 3:40 p.m.
Share Post
