Yeore Kim interview

01:45 - Yeore is from South Korea, now living in France

02:02 - Harmonica is not that popular in South Korea

02:29 - Started learning music due to influence of mother, who is a piano teacher

02:46 - Tremolo was first harmonica started playing, at age six

03:02 - Tremolo is the most commonly played harmonica in Korea, playing classical music pieces usually on it

04:26 - Mother is a piano teacher

04:52 - Learnt harmonica in a music academy

05:14 - Yeore is now a chromatic harmonica player, switching to the instrument age 18, having lessons for six months before self-learning

05:46 - Applied knowledge of music from other instruments to the chromatic

06:22 - Mainly plays jazz on the chromatic, initially inspired by Japanese player Tokunaga Nobuo and Toots Thielemans

07:07 - Musical links between South Korea and Japan, but now the world has opened up with online resources

07:32 - The influence of Toots and transcribing his music

08:57 - The Brazil Project albums are Yeore’s favourites, and so she likes to play Brazilian styles of jazz

09:53 - Yeore studied jazz at Seoul University and plays a diverse range of jazz styles now

10:13 - Studied trumpet as main instrument on the university music course, but could also use the chromatic on the course

11:20 - Similarities between trumpet and chromatic harmonica

12:21 - Can you play same musical lines on trumpet and chromatic

14:00 - Doesn’t perform on other instruments now, only harmonica

14:46 - Plays some piano still, but not to perform on

15:08 - Played with Filip Jers in a guitar workshop in Sweden

16:46 - Yeore’s husband (Antoine Boyer) is a great guitar player, and she performs and tours with him

17:34 - Didn’t play gypsy jazz before meeting her gypsy jazz guitarist husband, and still doesn’t

18:31 - Moved to France in 2018, not being able to speak French of English, and similarity of learning music and languages

19:41 - Based in Paris but also spends time in Dijon, France

20:22 - Recorded an album with Antoine: Tangram, which means a Chinese puzzle

22:33 - One of strengths of harmonica is the dynamic range

23:19 - Uses some effects pedals to raise the intensity of the chromatic

24:53 - Composed a song with a brass section from experience of playing the trumpet

26:23 - Composed other songs on the album

26:43 - Blackbird song chosen as harmonica is similar to a bird sound

28:11 - Yeore played Bye Bye Blackbird with Jens Bunge at the Seoul Harmonica Festival in 2018

28:30 - Does some duets with Antoine on the album

29:41 - Classical piece on the album: Valse L, from Yeore’s experience of playing classical music when younger

30:38 - Sings on one of the songs on the Tangram album

31:38 - Planning to make a new duo album with Antoine soon

33:47 - Recorded album with pianist Mia in 2023, a university friend from South Korea

34:42 - Antoine and other musicians appear on Eutopia song

35:58 - 7AM song from album

37:14 - Alone song from Eutopia album

38:12 - Breeze is a samba song on the album

39:04 - Recorded an album with a Korean pianist, Sunhang Lee, in 2014, Year’s first jazz album recording

40:17 - Recording of Oasis song, Don’t Look Back In Anger, on YouTube, and approach to playing pop songs

42:01 - Blog of European tour

43:01 - Used jazz trumpet and saxophone tutorial material to learn jazz on chromatic

44:12 - Teacher at university was a saxophone player

44:48 - Placed third in the harmonica competition at the harmonica festival in Seoul with Antonio Serrano and Gregoire Maret as the judges

45:44 - Performed a gig in India to a crowd of over 500,000 people, getting the gig through yoga

47:09 - Has taught some tremolo previously, but focusing on performing at the moment

47:29 - Ten minute question

49:08 - Hohner Super 64 black model is chromatic of choice, also using Super 64X Performance

49:36 - Uses low octave on 16 hole models to provide accompaniment to Antoine on guitar

50:44 - Doesn’t play any diatonic or any tremolo any more

51:03 - Has played some bass and chord harmonica

51:42 - Plays chromatic only in key of C

52:07 - Does some basic maintenance, but sends off to a technician for more major work

52:48 - Embouchre is tongue blocking

53:11 - How applies vibrato

53:26 - Usually plays with mic in hand

53:47 - Mic of choice is the Beyer Dynamic 88

53:58 - Uses PA for amplification

54:13 - Effects uses Line 6 multi-effects pedal

55:09 - Future plans include recording the new album with Antoine

56:17 - Going to Australia tomorrow and giving a harmonica workshop in South Korea in December

57:13 - Why there aren’t more female harmonica players