Yvonnick Prene - Jour De Fete

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 67:37
Size: 126,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:31)  1. Obsessions
(6:45)  2. Thais
(5:16)  3. Never Let Me Go
(5:53)  4. Satellite
(5:15)  5. As Night Falls
(7:30)  6. Con Alma
(5:46)  7. Home
(5:34)  8. A Billion Stars
(6:18)  9. Nobody Else But Me
(5:35) 10. Escale
(7:10) 11. Jour De Fete

European jazz harmonica players aren't exactly a dime a dozen, but the Old Continent has birthed a few for the ages. Belgium gave unto jazz the legendary Toots Thielemans, Germany put forth vibes/harmonica doubling sensation Hendrik Meurkens, and the Swiss turned out Gregoire Maret; now, the French weigh in with the young Yvonnick Prene. Jour De Fete marks Prene's debut and it proves to be an excellent showcase for his writing and playing. He readily identifies Thielemans, Maret and Stevie Wonder as inspirations and influences, and he's clearly tapped into their work to feed and fuel his own musical imagination. A breezy, devil may care attitude which connects to a good deal of Theilemans' oeuvre comes through in oft-played pieces like "Con Alma" and "Nobody Else But Me," but that only paints a partial picture of Prene's personality. Low intensity funk comes to the fore on "A Billion Stars," which features snippets of spoken word recordings featuring science fiction writer Ray Bradbury's voice, and light-yet-propulsive swing-to-Latin rhythms take hold during saxophonist John Coltrane's "Satellite," which opens on some playful dialogue between Prene and guitarist Isaac Darche.

Classic tunes are peppered throughout the program, but the lion's share of the material comes from Prene's pen. He visits in on a variety of musical areas in his writing, but his instrumental voice remains remarkably consistent throughout. "Escale" bears a Brazilian beauty mark, "As Night Falls" shows off Prene's predilection for lyrical lines, and "Home" hits the heart head-on; this uplifting number proves to be the most memorable original of the bunch. These days, Prene calls Brooklyn, New York his home, but the spirit of Gay Paree still lives within his highly agreeable music. Jour De Fete is his recorded initiation into the fraternal order of jazz harmonica aces; he's now a part of the club for life. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jour-de-fete-yvonnick-prene-steeplechase-lookout-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Yvonnick Prene: chromatic harmonica; Michael Valeanu: guitar (2, 7, 10, 11); Isaac Darche: guitar (1, 4, 5, 6); Javi Santiago: piano; Or Bareket: bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11); Phil Donkin: bass (3, 6, 9); Jesse Simpson: drums (1-7, 9-11); Owen Erickson: drums (8); Ray Bradbury: spoken word vocals (11).

Jour De Fete

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Yvonnick Prene - Breathe

Size: 103,4 MB
Time: 44:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Blues Comes Down The Seine (5:44)
02. Looking Up (7:29)
03. Breathe (5:12)
04. Got To Go (5:35)
05. Mr. Tix (5:12)
06. The Comedian (5:13)
07. Armorica (5:04)
08. As Night Falls (4:49)

Yvonnick Prene has called New York home since 2007, but jazz fans in and around the Big Apple and beyond can be forgiven if they lacked awareness about his harmonica skills until more recent times. His first album—the inviting Jour de Fête (SteepleChase Records, 2013)—took a while to arrive, so the only way to learn about Prene prior to 2013 was through word of mouth or a chance live encounter. Now, judging from his recent output, it appears that he's making up for lost time. Two more albums—Wonderful World (Self Produced, 2014) and Merci Toots (Self Produced, 2015)—came in quick succession after his debut, a full gigging calendar in the past few years has kept him in the public eye, and a flurry of writing and publishing activity has produced a good number of jazz harmonica educational publications from this rising star. And now there's Breathe.

Prene's fourth album finds him working within an organ-centric setting. It's a first on record for him, but it sounds as if he's been dealing with this format forever. Everything from the lively "Blues Comes Down The Seine" to the gently waltzing "As Night Falls" sounds natural as can be. Those two pieces bookend the album, but what's in between—an easy grooving rendition of pianist Monty Alexander's "Got To Go," a charged original in tribute to the Tixier brothers, a joyful calypso number dubbed "The Comedian," and several other winners—is just as interesting.

Prene's band here includes two veterans—organist Jared Gold and guitarist Peter Bernstein—and relative newcomer Allan Mednard on drums. For the most part, these four prove to be a simpatico set of players, ably supporting one another and playing off of each other. Mednard is occasionally a tad too heavy-handed for the topic at hand, evident in his crash-filled bossa nova backing on "Armorica," but that's just a small caveat. The big picture that Breathe projects—centrist sounds with enough surprises in the structure, soloing, and interplay to hold interest—is a bright one. ~Dan Bilawski

Personnel: Yvonnick Prene: harmonica; Peter Bernstein: guitar; Jared Gold: Hammond B3 organ; Allan Mednard: drums.

Breathe

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