Yvonnick Prene

Yvonnick Prené is a French harmonica player and a recording artist.

Life and career

Born in Paris, he began as a guitarist, later switching to the diatonic harmonica, and eventually settling on the chromatic harmonica as his primary instrument. He first began playing the harmonica professionally in Parisian clubs at 17, then started his studies at Sorbonne University, from which he received a master's degree in music (2011). While still enrolled at the Sorbonne, Prené relocated to New York City and was awarded multiple full-tuition scholarships at The City College of New York, (MICEFA, 2007), Columbia University (Alliance Program, 2008) and at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (Merit-Based Scholarship, 2009) where he had the opportunity to study with Lee Konitz and Reggie Workman among others. In 2011-2012 he earned a BA from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music and Master's degree from Sorbonne University.

He has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists, including Donald Brown, Klingande, Romeo Santos, Peter Bernstein, Scott Tixier, Gene Bertoncini, Rich Perry, Steve Cardenas, Jon Cowherd, Vic Juris,Nate Smith, Ira Coleman, Thomas Enhco, Mino Cinelu Luques Curtis, Eric Lewis, ELEW, Justin Brown, Jerome Barde, Lorin Cohen, Mike Moreno, Avi Rothebard, Jared Gold, Anthony Wonsey, Clovis Nicholas, Laurent Cugny, Alexandre Tassel, Dana Hall, Gilad Hekselman, Jon Davis, Krystle Warren, Yaron Herman, Laurent de Wilde, Ryan Cohan, Victor Provost among many others. Yvonnick has played at Blue Note Jazz Club, Smalls Jazz Club at the Iridium Jazz Club, The Jazz Gallery at Birdland (New York jazz club) at Bern Jazz Festival, Festival Emoi du Jazz (Côte d'Ivoire), Lamentin Jazz Festival, Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, at Jazz in Marciac, Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Chicago), Sidedoor Jazz Club, Jazz Gallery, Jazz on Ubaye, Jazz Sur Seine Festival, at Le Duc des Lombards.

Yvonnick is the founder of New York Harmonica School,, Harmonica Studio author of several books and bandleader of Yvonnick Prené quartet and Padam Swing. Yvonnick is currently based in Manhattan, New York.

Discography

As leader

• New York Moments, SteepleChase Records, (2019)
• Breathe, featuring Peter Bernstein, CdBaby, (2016)
• Merci Toots, featuring Pasquale Grasso, CdBaby, (2015)
• Wonderful World, Padam Swing Band, CdBaby, (2014)
• Jour de Fête, Steeplechase Records, (2013)

As sideman

• Death Rides a Horse, Arthur Vint (2017)
• Date Night, Karickter (2016)
• Aquarius Woman, Marcello Pellitteri (2016)
• Cosmic Adventure, Scott Tixier, Sunnyside Records, (2016)
• A Door, Joonsam, Origin Records, (2016)
• Through the Badlands, Arthur Vint and Associates, Ropeadope Records, (2016)
• Home, Lorin Cohen, Origin Records, (2015)
• Dunya, Farah Siraj, (2014)
• Talking Strings, Darius Scheider (2013)
• Arty Facts, Arnon Palty, (2012)
• Sings Tess, Bianca Wu, BMA, (2012)
• The New York Flamenco Jazz Project, "Mosaico", Eureka Musik Produktionen, (2012)
• Jazz Me Up, Bianca Wu, BMA, (2010)
• Umbrella, Harry Miller (2009)
• Movements, Alexandre Tassel, Naive, (2008)
• Euro Latin Jazz, Rebecca Vallejo, Cuca Jazz Production, (2007)