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Yannick Robert is a French guitar player with a very unique finger playing technique and a very melodic phrasing.

Born in Brittany, north-west part of France, he starts playing guitar at the age of 14, after having played accordion and celtic instruments (bagpipe, bombard, Irish whistle...).
This is the beginning of the celtic influence we will find in his future projects. His first years of cassical guitar and finger-picking are determinant for the development of his very personal finger technique.

He starts studying at the CIM of Paris (he will be award-winning of the National jazz contest of La Défense in 1982), then he goes to Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood in 1985 and 1986. He will meet there Scott Henderson, Joe Pass, Robben Ford, but also Belgian drummer André Charlier and bass-player Benoît Vanderstraeten with whom he will set up a trio and record his first album “Le Pendule”. (Aurophon)
 
 

He plays then in different Festivals and european scenes (Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Monaco ..), mainly in trio, with drummers André Charlier, Franck Agulhon, Alain Gozzo and bass-players Benoît Vanderstraeten, Daniel Yvinec, Marc-Michel Lebévillon.

Since 1990 Yannick teaches from time to time at CMCN, now MAI (Music Academy International). In 1992 he is endorsed by Ibanez guitars, which collaborates with him to build a Fretless signature model. He is invited to participate at the recording of CDs “Fretless Guitar Masters” (Guitar Nine Records) and “Village of the Unfretted” (Unfretted Records).
He is considered since then as a reference in the Fretless guitar world.

 
 

In 1992 he is invited to play at the Vittel guitar festival, where he performs a piece called “240 cordes de fièvre”, for 40 guitar-players,ordered by French Culture ministry.
He plays there a concert with Scott Henderson. In 1994, he performs in Cannes Music Passion Festival with Alain Caron, Michel Cusson, Jean-Marc Jafet, André Ceccarelli.

In 1995, he becoms teaching director of the Ibanez guitar schools, the first red of that kind in France, which counts today 28 schold in the country. In the same time he participates in many seminars and masterclasses, and he writes a lot of methods. He is today collection director at ID Musique, Lemoine et Carish publishing.

In 1998, he records a duet album with bass-player Benoît Vandertsraeten, “Dix Cordes de Nuit” (dist. Guitar Euroshop). In 2000 he tours in Canada with vibraphonist Peter Appleyard. In 2001 he set up a new quartet with André Charlier, Daniel Yvinek and sax-player Bobby Rangell, with who he records “Maid of the Mist” (dist. Guitar Euroshop).
 
 

Since 2003, he tours with Franck Agulhon, Benoît Vandertsraeten and records “Vaci Utca” (Muséa Records), an album that gathers celtic and jazz-fusion influences. Yannick is one the rare musicians to have explored and played “Celtic Jazz”.

  
 

He sets up then the "When pop goes to Jazz" trio, with a repertory of pop/rock songs arrangments, with upright bass-player Rémy Chaudagne and drummer Jean-Marc Robin. Then he puts together the "Urban Celtic" band, with Franck Agulhon, Benoît Vanderstraeten and the amazing recorder player Benoît Sauvé.

In 2009 and 2010 he tours with sax-player Céline Bonacina and her “Alefa Quartet”. In 2010 he starts his new project “The Blues & Beyond Quartet”, with harmonicist Sébastien Charlier, bass-player Dominique di Piazza and drummer Yoann Schmidt. Their first album “La danse du chat” is out since september 2011. They begin touring all over the world.