The regional office at Dubai Knowledge Park, a hub for lifelong learning, will serve as a cultural ambassador, promoting hungarian heritage, Kecskemét's values, and Neumann's spirit of innovation in the region
"I'm hoping to change the audiences' musical lives. They will never look at the harmonica the same way again," Yonnet stresses.
The French urban jazz harmonicist, musician, producer and recording artist, who has performed alongside music icons such as Stevie Wonder, Prince, Ed Sheeran and John Legend, to name a few, will be opening up for rockers Snow Patrol at the three-day music festival that's kicking off tonight at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.
Yonnet has performed in the UAE earlier and this is his third visit to the country. "I have attended the Formula One (in Abu Dhabi) event a couple times and performed for the opening of Café Milano in Abu Dhabi's Four Seasons. But I'm excited to be back and looking forward to performing in the Dubai Jazz Festival."
Traditionally, the harmonica has been mainly used in blues or country music. However, a handful of artists, such as the legendary Toots Thielemans (who gave the harmonica a prominent place in jazz music), and Stevie Wonder (who makes infectious R&B music with the instrument), gave the harmonica a wider appeal.
Described by Rolling Stone magazine as Prince's 'killer harmonica player,' Yonnet has been using the instrument to embellish jazz, R&B, pop-rock, hip-hop and other contemporary genres. But for him, the harmonica is just a reflection of his personality. "It's simple, accessible and playful. However, like me, it shouldn't be underestimated. With its 10-holes, it appears to be limited in it's function, however, I've discovered the limitations are in the mind, not the instrument. Expanding the way I approached the instrument allows me to take my music to a whole new level."
Dream run
Interestingly, Yonnet began his music career with a percussion instrument. "It's been pretty amazing. I actually started by playing drums when I was 13-years-old, but I didn't own a car or have a driver's license then, so I traded it (drums) for an instrument that was more portable - a harmonica.
Meeting Stevie Wonder
Frederic Yonnet says his first encounter with Stevie Wonder, was in a rather unusual fashion. Comedian Dave Chappelle was introducing him to Wonder during the 2006 Grammys when, suddenly, out of the blue, Yonnet pulled out a harmonica from his pocket and started playing some riffs, and the next thing. he and Wonder were on tour.
"We did a party in London and Ed stopped by to jam. We had such a good time Ed invited me to perform with him on a show in Washington, DC. We performed his hit song, Thinking Out Loud and it ended up being filmed as part of a Christmas TV special. We've stayed in touch and have since jammed together at pop-ups in DC and Johannesburg, SA," he added.
"I had the pleasure of meeting Thielemans at Blues Alley in Washington DC. We also chatted on the phone once about recording together, but somehow I never performed with him."
Yonnet holds fond memories of performing at Quincy Jones's 85th birthday party last year. "Quincy's birthday celebration, which aired on BET, was an amazing, star-studded evening of music and tributes to 'The Dude'. You name it, they were there... Oprah, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Dave Chappelle, Gladys Knight, Usher, Gloria Estefan and many others.
"I had the chance to perform two songs, including one with an all-star band led by Herbie Hancock and directed by (keyboardist and musical director) Greg Phillinganes."
Hollywood calling
Besides touring and recording, he is also involved with Hollywood films. "There are actually two projects (I worked on). The re-release of Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born, which includes a brief performance and song that I wrote called, Stomping at the Juke Joint. And most recently, I worked with music director Robbie Robinson on the score of Martin Scorsese's film (The Irishman). It features the harmonica pretty prominently. I can't really elaborate about it now, except that it's supposed to release this fall and it's projected to be one of Netflix's most expensive production to date."
Music sharing concept
Explaining a unique music sharing concept that he created, he says, "I call this project 'reality CD' because I'm sharing the music at various stages in the creative process. The music is available on a download card that you retain it in order to access the music whenever major changes and updates are made to a song. You're notified of updates and invited to give your feedback, either on the website or on social media. Your feedback will influence the final outcome."
So what's next for him? "Well, I'm going wherever this instrument will take me."
Today: Frederic Yonnet, Vandalye, Snow Patrol
Thursday, February 21: Abri & Funk Radius, Keb' Mo', Jamiroquai
Friday, February 22: Alicia Keys
Where: Dubai Media Amphitheatre
Tickets: From Dhs350-Dhs3,000 available at www.dubai.platinumlist.net, www.tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae or www.800tickets.com or visit dubaijazzfest.com
The regional office at Dubai Knowledge Park, a hub for lifelong learning, will serve as a cultural ambassador, promoting hungarian heritage, Kecskemét's values, and Neumann's spirit of innovation in the region
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