Yamaha 'Red Hot' At Winter NAMM 2011
Yamaha's Red Hot Sax Night II - l to r: Keith Loftis, Jeff Coffin, Jeff Kashiwa, Mindi Abair and Dave Koz.
Yamaha Corporation of America President Tak Nakata addresses Keyboard dealers at the Division's annual Dealer Breakfast.
Roberta Flack's performance at Yamaha's New York Piano Salon is transmitted live via the Internet to the new Yamaha DFCX Disklavier in Anaheim.
ANAHEIM, Calif.—Yamaha affirmed its position as the world's leading music product manufacturer at Winter NAMM 2011. In addition to building a bustling, interactive, multimedia exhibit to showcase its products and the artists who bring them to life, Yamaha also presented Red Hot Sax Night – a standing-room-only concert event that featured a stellar array of Yamaha saxophone artists.
Beyond undertaking the first-ever High Definition, live broadcast from the NAMM Show floor, Yamaha's Customer Experience Group introduced its innovative Yamaha Hub iOS app, which aggregates data about Yamaha products, promotions, content and events at NAMM for users of Apple products. Yamaha's award-winning web team's dedicated multimedia Web site (www.Yamaha.com/namm) provided photos and video content that showcased product demonstrations, in-booth concerts and other events.
"This year, Yamaha clearly established itself as the leader in social media and multimedia outreach," said YCA Senior Vice President Rick Young. "With its innovative thinking and technologies, our Customer Experience Group brought the Yamaha NAMM experience to hundreds of thousands of people who could not attend the show."
A Show highlight was the Band & Orchestral division's all-star concert Red Hot Sax Night II, celebrating the introduction of the Yamaha "Z" Soprano Saxophone. The spectacular event, held at the Marriott Ballrooms E & F, was jam packed with artists such as Dave Koz, Mindi Abair, Jeff Coffin, Jeff Kashiwa and Keith Loftis, who brought the house down with their amazing performances.
"There was a real sense of vitality and enthusiasm at Yamaha's Winter NAMM 2011 exhibit," said Tom Sumner, Senior Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA). "The industry is clearly energized and Yamaha is at the forefront of this revival."
Industry Awards and Accolades
For the 10th straight year, the Yamaha Disklavier performance-reproducing piano took top honors as Product of the Year in the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) Dealer's Choice Awards. The Tyros4 Arranger Workstation was also noted as Pro Digital Keyboard Line of the Year, while the Company's Band & Orchestral Division received the Product Line of the Year designation. The awards are based on votes from musical products dealers throughout the country.
Additionally, the YSS-82Z "Custom Z" Soprano Saxophone won the NAMM "Best in Show" Award. The HD-200 Harmony Director was selected for a NAMM 2011 "Best Tools for Schools" honor and the Disklavier won the "Best Teaching Tool for Advanced Students" award.
Steinberg's Cubase6 was named one of the 10 Best Music Technology Products at NAMM by Music Radar.
Divisions Showcase Impressive Products and Events
Yamaha Keyboard Division unveiled the remarkable new DCFX Disklavier Concert Piano, which combines the Disklavier's unsurpassed functionality, along with the meticulous craftsmanship of the new CFX handbuilt concert grand piano. The division also launched a new addition to the AvantGrand line, the affordable new AvantGrand N1 upright. The award-winning Tyros4 Arranger Workstation was also showcased. New Clavinova models on display included the attractive new CLP400 Series and CLP Slimline Series. New acoustic models on display included the XA Series. The Bosendorfer 200DE3 performance reproducing piano was also on display, as well as the stunning, limited edition Audi-Design Bosendorfer. Additional digital piano offerings include the YDP-161B and the ultra-portable Piaggero NP Series digital keyboards. A highlight of the Keyboard display was the unique ‘Remote Live' presentation featuring the legendary Roberta Flack and other artists performing from New York on the Internet-connected Disklavier and Bosendorfer performance reproducing pianos on the show floor.
Yamaha's Pro Audio and Combo Division (PAC) Music Production Department marked the 10th Anniversary of the MOTIF, the top-selling synthesizer workstation, by demonstrating the latest-generation Motif XF, which includes more customizable flash memory than has ever been available in a digital keyboard. The company also announced new Karma software for the Motif XS and Motif XF.
Yamaha Guitars introduced the A-Series acoustic-electric guitars, featuring a new look, a new feel and a new sound. The guitars were launched at a press conference that featured jazz legend Lee Ritenour and hot picker Don Alder, winner of the 2010 Guitar Player magazine Guitar Superstar Competition. The series, in concert and dreadnought cutaway configurations, launches Yamaha into a new market segment by providing a professional instrument designed to be the workhorse of any steel-string guitarist's arsenal. Guitars once again served as sponsor of Muriel Anderson's All-Star Guitar Night.
Yamaha Drums introduced several new drum sets at a highly successful press conference featuring Gorden Campbell (Beyonce, Rascal Flatts, Mary J. Blige) and Sean Paddock (Kenny Chesney). The new Steve Jordan-designed Club Custom kit combines vintage tone with modern-day craftsmanship and features a gorgeous painted swirl finish that allows the drums more resonance and sustain. New GigMaker drums provide pro features at a nice price. The Recording Custom Heritage Drum Set honors the 45th Anniversary of the most recorded drum set in history. For working drummers and schools that seek an affordable high quality kit, the Stage Custom Birch Bebop kit fits on small stages and makes for easy load-ins.
Live Sound introduced new powered DSR Speakers, which deliver class-leading power and digital sound processing, plus the all-new D-CONTOUR multi-band dynamic processing.
Yamaha's Band & Orchestral Division debuted the highly anticipated YSS-82Z and YSS-82ZR "Custom Z" saxophones, designed in close collaboration with global Yamaha artists. Yamaha Winds also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Xeno line of trumpets with the limited edition YTR-8335RS20TH Professional Trumpet. Additionally, Winds showcased the YEP-642II Professional Euphonium, which offers a broad sound and rich palette of tonal colors and the YPC-62R Professional Piccolo, featuring a wave cut head joint. Yamaha Strings debuted the SLB-200LTD Silent Bass, a performance-oriented bass designed with a compact body that makes transport a breeze.
Steinberg Media Technologies announced the release of Cubase 6 and Cubase Artist 6, two new versions of the highly acclaimed Cubase music production system for recording, editing, mixing and producing music to the highest standards. The Company also announced the release of two pro-audio VST/AU signal processing plug-ins that reflect the overarching alliance between Yamaha, Rupert Neve Designs, Inc. and Steinberg.
Finally, Yamaha's Music Education Systems Division once again hosted its popular Junior Original Concert (JOC) Series, which featured two exceptional Yamaha Music School students performing their own original compositions.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.