With his unique musical approach, Frédéric Yonnet is getting recognition for his multi-genre sounds on his harmonica. Recently, he was one of the musicians featured in D-Nice’s Club Quarantine, which was recently held at the Kennedy Center.
Yonnet, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area, shows his versatility by working with producers like David Foster and Robert Glasper. He has also performed with A Tribe Called Quest, John Mayer, Erykah Badu, John Legend, and fellow harmonicist Stevie Wonder.
In an interview with Stacy Brown, national reporter for the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the Washington Informer, Yonnet said he originally did not fall in love with the harmonica, but the instrument fell in love with him.
“I had asthma as a child. From carrying an inhaler to playing the harmonica, it was an easy choice,” said Yonnet to Brown. “The more I played with other musicians, with blues, country, R&B, gospel, and other music genres merging. I was able to create my own style.”
Yonnet can be heard on two Martin Scorsese film scores, “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The score, composed for the latter, was recently nominated for a 2024 Golden Globe. The late Robbie Robertson was the composer/music director for the score.
Yonnet’s harmonica factors into the mood of this film. Interwoven with bass drumming, heard as actor Leonardo DiCaprio steps off a train, Yonnet’s harmonica can be heard in the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Yonnet first worked with Scorsese when music director Robertson wanted a sound that would feel like the Grim Reaper for the film “The Irishman.”
“Through the samples I sent to Robbie and Martin, they saw the harmonica had more textures, more layers,” said Yonnet.
With his passing, Robertson left Yonnet another layer that is as an important contributor to film scores.
