Yogi's Music Lessons

Introduction: Hello! My name is Christian "Yogi" Saint-Louis, and I am a Boston based professional musician, bassist, producer, musical director and educator. I've been teaching music since high school and heightened my skills when I attended my alma mater Berklee College of Music. I enjoy motivating my students to reach their goals by building a specific practice plan that adheres to their musical aspirations and style. Bio Christian "Yogi" Saint-Louis, is a twenty-five year old American musician who began his pursuit of music at ten years of age while playing drums. But, after being exposed to bass guitar in high school, he quickly realized this was where his passion was. In 2008, he relocated to Boston to pursue his education at Berklee College of Music. There, in the rich musical environment that surrounded him, he was able to hone his skills as a Bassist, Synthesist, and Musical Director through many performances and recording opportunities. During his tenure at Berklee, Saint-Louis was given the opportunity to be the bassist for the Parliament Funkadelic Ensemble led by world-renown bassist Professor Lenny Stallworth. Around the same time, he received an incredible opportunity to perform with former P-Funk founding member and keyboardist, Bernie Worrell, at the 2012 Beantown Jazz Festival and with George Clinton and other members of Parliament Funkadelic for Berklee's, "George Clinton Meets Berklee," Honorary Doctorate Ceremony and Show. To enhance the landscape of his musical proficiencies, Saint-Louis reached out to additional bass greats and began studying with: Rodney "Skeet" Curtis (P-Funk, Maceo Parker); Lenny Stallworth (RH Factor); Lincoln Goines (Michel Camilo, Mike Stern) and Anthony Vitti (Sammy Davis, Jr., and The Platters). As a result of his dedication, drive, diligent work ethic, passion, and talent, Saint-Louis quickly began to be hired-on for gigs that stretched from coast-to-coast. These included festivals such as: Beantown Jazz Festival; South-by-Southwest (SXSW); Outside the Box; Paulie's New Orleans Jazz & Blues Festival; and many others. His adaptive playing capability has allowed him to gain invaluable recording experiences on jingles, albums, and tracks which were used for such films as "Skyline," (Universal Studios - LA) and "Oxymorons" (Complex Films). Most recently, Saint-Louis is featured on multi-Grammy- award winning vocalist, Dianne Reeves' GRAMMY winning album, "Beautiful Life." The track, "Feels So Good" (Lifted), features Saint-Louis on bass alongside the great late George Duke on keys and synth. The album, 'which covers the spectrum from jazz to soul...was produced by Terri Lyne Carrington...and features an all-star cast that includes bassists Esperanza Spalding and Richard Bona, vocalists Gregory Porter and Lalah Hathaway, pianists Robert Glasper and Gerald Clayton and Reeves' cousin and frequently longtime collaborator George Duke." My Services Bassist (live performances, studio sessions, education) What does Christian Saint-Louis bring to a musical environment? An 'open ear, a sensitive awareness to his 'musical' surroundings, and the ability to interpret what is needed musically and emotionally so that all elements cohere to achieve their highest apex. He has the ability to perform and record bass/keybass in all genres of music and as an educator, is committed to teaching students of all ages the value of music and how its appreciation will enrich their lives. Synthesist As an Electronic Production and Design major at Berklee College of Music, Saint-Louis developed skill-sets in sound design, Foley artist, composition, and analog synthesis. All of these skill-sets are featured in the development of sounds for film, live performances, video games, commercials, and production. Musical Director As a musical director, Saint-Louis has the ability to translate an artist's vision and specific musical requirements for live-set or album content. This would include meeting with the artist(s)to discuss their objectives, arranging the music, hiring and teaching musicians, and leading the band through rehearsals, live performances or studio recordings. Currently, Saint-Louis is the music director for The Urban Nerdz ,who were voted "Best Hip-Hop Act of 2013" at The New England Music Awards and The New England Urban Music Awards. He is also the music director for his own fusion R&B group called, The Collective.