Yamaha Artists
We're please to introduce you to some of our Yamaha supported Clients
Favourite Yamaha Instrument: YTR-8335LA
One of the world’s greatest trumpet players, who among many things, is also the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments of Hollywood movies. It’s even more likely that we don’t need to give Wayne any further introduction. Notable for his astonishing ability in the upper register of the trumpet, Wayne Bergeron is one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. Studio sessions, film recordings, international touring, jazz gigs, guest appearances, and clinics keep him busy worldwide. Last May, after his performance in Rotterdam, we had the chance to sit with him and have a long talk discussing topics ranging from the current situation of the music industry, to the secrets of lead trumpet playing. We even asked him for some tricks and warm up techniques. To make things a bit more special, the interview was recorded on a beautiful cruise ship which we later found out that Wayne had performed on in his 20s.
Favourite Yamaha Instrument: YTR-8330EM
Born and raised in Hawaii to a musical family, Eric is now one of the most in demand soloist/clinician in the world. He spent his early days in Honolulu studying both classical and Pop/Jazz music, later moving to Berklee Collage of Music to continue his education. Since leaving school, he has toured worldwide with: Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Stevie Wonder, Tower of Power, and performed with many other artists and orchestras around the globe. Eric now resides in Japan, where he is the first call studio/session/solo player, and is also very active as a leader of his own bands; EM band and the Blue Note All Star Jazz Orchestra.
Eric's versatility has been showcased in many television shows, radio, and film scores. He is also known as an accomplished composer, arranger, and producer. Eric is a visiting trumpet/popular music professor at Kunitachi College of Music, Showa Music Academy, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, and Osaka University of Arts. Eric Miyashiro is an International Yamaha Performing Artist.
Favourite Yamaha Instrument: YTR-8335EA
Belgian trumpeter Jeroen Berwaerts is a paramount musical force with an all-inclusive love for music that knows not how to discriminate. Praised for his outstanding technical capabilities and sensitive musicality, his repertoire encompasses every epoch, from baroque music to contemporary music to jazz. With a flourishing solo career of recitals as well as concerts with the world's leading symphony orchestras, Jeroen Berwaerts still finds time to devote himself to chamber music.
Born in 1975, Jeroen Berwaerts' musical talents had already been awarded with prizes from various competitions such as the Concours Maurice André (1991) and Concours Européen de Jeunes Trompettistes (1992) when he began studies in Karlsruhe with celebrated trumpet-virtuoso Reinhold Friedrich. He was also an award-winner at the Prague Spring International Music Competition in 1997 and won the 2nd grand prize as well as the "Prix Feeling" (a special prize for best interpretation) at the Maurice André Trumpet Competition.
Jeroen Berwaerts' open-mindedness and resplendent playing have brought him invitations to play at internationally acclaimed music festivals, including Ars Musica in Belgium, Takefu International Music Festival and the Rheingau Music Festival, as well as frequently at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival where in 2005 he performed the world premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's Voyage VII for trumpet and ensemble. He has also performed as a soloist with many well-renowned orchestras including the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, Munich Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover and the Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen under conductors such as Alan Gilbert and Yakov Kreizberg. Since winning the position of Principal Trumpet of the NDR Radio Symphony Hamburg in 1999, he has been invited to appear on several occasions as soloist with the orchestra.
Following many years as a member of the Canadian Brass, Jeroen Berwaerts now plays with the Stockholm Chamber Brass. Over thirty compositions have been written for the ensemble, which performs mostly original compositions or arrangements of both contemporary and more traditional repertoire.
Amidst his burgeoning trumpet career, Jeroen Berwaerts completed Jazz vocal studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. He has developed several programs for trumpet and piano where he uniquely combines classical, jazz, trumpet and voice.
His first solo CD In the Limelight provides a stunning take on trumpet repertoire of the Romantic period. RCA also released a live-CD featuring the Posthornserenade by Mozart under the baton of Günther Wand. Since 2008, Jeroen Berwaerts has been a Professor of Trumpet at the Hochschule für Musik in Hanover.
Favourite Yamaha Instrument: YTR-8310Z
He spent most of his high school days playing as many as six nights a week in a dinner club, giving him an early start to his professional career.
He then spent three years as the jazz trumpet soloist in the famed NORAD multi-service band. Shortly after leaving he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Sam Donahue, which, among other things, gave him the chance to perform quite a bit with trumpet legend Charlie Shavers. After his stint with Tommy Dorsey, Bobby was asked to play with Woody Herman's band upon Bill Chase's recommendation. He then spent some time playing for Della Reese and Buddy Rich, who's big band had just been formed.
By this time Bobby was widely known for his strong lead playing rather than as a jazz soloist. So late in 1972 he decided to make a move to the Los Angeles area in order to get reinvolved in developing as a jazz player. Once in Los Angeles, Bobby quickly found what he was looking for, and in the years to come he spent time with the groups of Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Horace Silver Quintet, and Frank Strazzer-Sam Moss, as well as numerous big bands such as Bill Holman, Louie Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin, Oliver Nelson, Bill Berry, Nat Pierce-Frank Capp Juggernaut, Ed Shaughnessy, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, Neal Hefti, Don Menza, and Bob Florence. In addition to being a sideman Bobby also became a leader around this time, recording many of his own albums. Several of these received very high accolades from critics and high placement on the airplay charts. One of his albums, 'Outstanding In His Field' was nominated for a Grammy in 1980, while, 'Heavy Company' was awarded the Jazz Album Of The Year in 1983.
Today, in addition to a busy performing and private teaching schedule, Bobby spends a considerable amount of time actively involved in the educational system, conducting clinics and master classes at high schools and college campuses all over the world. Bobby has also been active on the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild, and has acted as National Trumpet Chairman for the International Association of Jazz Educator's for 16 years.
Favourite Yamaha Instrument: YSL-893DNL
Born in 1956, Nils Landgren began playing drums at the age of six, before at last discovering the trombone at 13. Between 1972 and 1978 Nils studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad with David Maytan and at the university in Arvika with Ingemar Roos. Meeting the legendary Swedish Folk-Jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin as well as the fantastic trombonist Eje Thelin persuaded Nils to move from strict classical studies to improvisation and to begin the development of his own approach.
After his graduation Nils moved to Stockholm to work as a professional trombone player. He was soon touring with the most successful Swedish pop star of that time, Björn Skifs’ “Blue Swede” who got to number 1 in the US pop charts with “Hooked on a feeling”. In 1981 Thad Jones invited the Swede into his new big band project “Ball of Fire”, to take the lead-trombone chair. Ever since that time Nils Landren has been involved in most styles equally: jazz and rock, soul and hip hop, big band sessions, and by his own reckoning, at least 500 albums including such internationals stars as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Wyclef Jean and Herbie Hancock.
1992 saw the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren “Unit”. The final breakthrough beyond Scandinavia came first in 1994: it was at the Jazz Baltica Festival at Salzau in Germany that the “Unit” became the “Funk Unit”. The album “Live in Stockholm” (ACT 9223-2) was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his then young ACT label.
Between January 1998 and January 2001 Nils Landgren was also a member of the NDR Big Band in Hamburg, but continuously touring throughout with the Funk Unit worldwide. During this time three albums were released: after “Live in Montreux” (ACT 9265-2) appeared in 1999 “5000 Miles” (ACT 9271-2) and in September 2001 “Fonk da World” (ACT 9299-2), which was presented live at a special 3 day festival in Hamburg dedicated to Nils Landgren’s music. The “grooving band, which encouraged the younger members of the audience into a dance frenzy, but which was also taken seriously by the greying jazz snobs” (Spiegel), proved that it could be counted as “the best funk band in Europe today” (Stereo).
As artistic director of the illustrious Berlin Jazz Festival in 2001 Nils Landgren set up a concise overview of the current directions in Scandinavian jazz and was awarded the “Tore Ehrling Prize” by the Swedish Composers’ Federation for his “special contribution in bringing worldwide attention to Swedish jazz”.
A further aspect of Landgren’s multi-facetedness has been shown since 1993, when the album “Ballads” (ACT 9268-2) was recorded, and on its release in Germany in 1999 showed for the first time his talent as an emotional ballad singer. With his tasteful tenor voice he has been compared to the introverted style of Chet Baker. In 2002 he undertook a recording of a sequence of love songs on a “Sentimental Journey” (ACT 9409-2) which was enthusiastically received by public and critics alike. “We want more of this” proclaimed the WOM Journal and so was able to follow this through the production of the album “I Will Wait For You” (ACT 9418-2) where the singer Rigmor Gustafsson – having previously made her name as a guest on “Sentimental Journey” – took centre stage. It stormed into the jazz charts in Sweden and Germany, reaching number 1 and number 2 respectively.
In 2004, after a self-imposed sabbatical of almost two years, Landgren went full steam ahead with his Funk Unit and produced the acclaimed Platinum „Funky Abba“ album (ACT 9430-2); his own personal hommage to one of the greatest pop bands in history. 2005 marks the new album “Creole Love Call” (ACT 9707-2) together with the legendary keyboarder Joe Sample of The Crusaders, in which Nils Landgren can be heard again primarily as a vocalist.
2007 brings the Funk Unit back again. The eighth funk album demonstrates the same killer groove as its award-winning predecessors lead us to expect. Nils Landgren definitely has it: the “Licence to Funk”.