Yeore Kim joins me on episode 119.
Yeore is from South Korea, where she first picked up the tremolo harmonica at the age of six. Her mother is a piano teacher, so she also learnt piano and other instruments, including trumpet, before focusing on the chromatic harmonica from age 18.
Yeore has released two albums of duets with different pianists.
She moved to France in 2018 after meeting her guitarist husband, Antoine Boyer, with whom she has released an album, Tangram. This contains a great mix of jazz, world music and interpretations of pop songs.
Yeore is currently working on a duo album with her husband, due to released later in 2024, and to be followed by a tour in 2025 to promote the album.
Videos:
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFkS5hmOn6BCgU1FCO_IEQ
Japanese player Nobuo Tokunaga:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33t6gCajgyw
7AM duet with pianist Mia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA2INoVumc0
Oasis song: Don’t Look Back In Anger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGiQuyXSN7Y
HUK interview with Sam Spranger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSKLp_di5uw&t=98s
European Tour blog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaQmcObOMiU
Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com
Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB
Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ
Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
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Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com
Support the show
Yeore is from South Korea, now living in France
Harmonica is not that popular in South Korea
Started learning music due to influence of mother, who is a piano teacher
Tremolo was first harmonica started playing, at age six
Tremolo is the most commonly played harmonica in Korea, playing classical music pieces usually on it
Mother is a piano teacher
Learnt harmonica in a music academy
Yeore is now a chromatic harmonica player, switching to the instrument age 18, having lessons for six months before self-learning
Applied knowledge of music from other instruments to the chromatic
Mainly plays jazz on the chromatic, initially inspired by Japanese player Tokunaga Nobuo and Toots Thielemans
Musical links between South Korea and Japan, but now the world has opened up with online resources
The influence of Toots and transcribing his music
The Brazil Project albums are Yeore’s favourites, and so she likes to play Brazilian styles of jazz
Yeore studied jazz at Seoul University and plays a diverse range of jazz styles now
Studied trumpet as main instrument on the university music course, but could also use the chromatic on the course
Similarities between trumpet and chromatic harmonica
Can you play same musical lines on trumpet and chromatic
Doesn’t perform on other instruments now, only harmonica
Plays some piano still, but not to perform on
Played with Filip Jers in a guitar workshop in Sweden
Yeore’s husband (Antoine Boyer) is a great guitar player, and she performs and tours with him
Didn’t play gypsy jazz before meeting her gypsy jazz guitarist husband, and still doesn’t
Moved to France in 2018, not being able to speak French of English, and similarity of learning music and languages
Based in Paris but also spends time in Dijon, France
Recorded an album with Antoine: Tangram, which means a Chinese puzzle
One of strengths of harmonica is the dynamic range
Uses some effects pedals to raise the intensity of the chromatic
Composed a song with a brass section from experience of playing the trumpet
Composed other songs on the album
Blackbird song chosen as harmonica is similar to a bird sound
Yeore played Bye Bye Blackbird with Jens Bunge at the Seoul Harmonica Festival in 2018
Does some duets with Antoine on the album
Classical piece on the album: Valse L, from Yeore’s experience of playing classical music when younger
Sings on one of the songs on the Tangram album
Planning to make a new duo album with Antoine soon
Recorded album with pianist Mia in 2023, a university friend from South Korea
Antoine and other musicians appear on Eutopia song
Alone song from Eutopia album
Breeze is a samba song on the album
Recorded an album with a Korean pianist, Sunhang Lee, in 2014, Year’s first jazz album recording
Recording of Oasis song, Don’t Look Back In Anger, on YouTube, and approach to playing pop songs
Used jazz trumpet and saxophone tutorial material to learn jazz on chromatic
Teacher at university was a saxophone player
Placed third in the harmonica competition at the harmonica festival in Seoul with Antonio Serrano and Gregoire Maret as the judges
Performed a gig in India to a crowd of over 500,000 people, getting the gig through yoga
Has taught some tremolo previously, but focusing on performing at the moment
Hohner Super 64 black model is chromatic of choice, also using Super 64X Performance
Uses low octave on 16 hole models to provide accompaniment to Antoine on guitar
Doesn’t play any diatonic or any tremolo any more
Has played some bass and chord harmonica
Plays chromatic only in key of C
Does some basic maintenance, but sends off to a technician for more major work
Embouchre is tongue blocking
Usually plays with mic in hand
Mic of choice is the Beyer Dynamic 88
Uses PA for amplification
Effects uses Line 6 multi-effects pedal
Future plans include recording the new album with Antoine
Going to Australia tomorrow and giving a harmonica workshop in South Korea in December
Why there aren’t more female harmonica players
