FREDERIC YONNET
When it comes to the harmonica, Frédéric Yonnet knows how to turn skeptics into believers. Most people perceive the harmonica as a “side” instrument used in country and blues. However, Yonnet – as part of a wave of musicians that emerged from Europe’s jazz underground – is one of a handful of musicians to successfully demonstrate the harmonica’s versatility as a lead instrument in contemporary jazz, R&B and other genres of music. Just listen to his sound. It funks. It rocks. It hips and hops. It grooves. It sways. It testifies. It prays. It has a reverence for blues and jazz while appealing to a generation breed on pop rock and hip-hop.