Influenced by Mexico and Israel, Ilan Bar-Lavi will be performing at the 14th Polanco JazzFestival

Ilan Bar-Lavi is a guitarist and composer from Mexico, but with a family in Israeli who, once again, returns to Mexico City to be able to perform at the 14th Polanco Jaz Festival this Saturday and Sunday.

This Festival will be able to take advantage of the sound mix that Ilan brings together, as his experience with the Middle East, Latin music and New Yorkers is a combination for which he is also considered one of the most talented and outstanding musicians of his generation.

On Sunday, April 3, you will be able to appreciate the concert in which he will highlight his most recent album, which is “Unprofessional”, in which he composed 10 original songs in Spanish and Hebrew.

In the same way, Ilan spoke with Infobae to tell us what he presents in Mexico and how he manages to have a mixture of all the sounds in his music.

How is the City treating you?

I love the city, I missed tacos very much and very good, I was in Jerusalem for these four years.

How do you feel about presenting yourself in this 14th edition of Jazzy?

Very happy, really, to be able to play in this beautiful festival at the Ángela Peralta Theater which is a super and very happy place.

Will you present your new album?

Yes, I am going to present “Unprofessional”, in addition to my compositions, from the last few years. There are several from my first album and several from the album that will soon come out in two or three months, they are new songs. There will be a mix of all my songs.

Tell me how is it that you work between the two cultures that you have for the family?

As I said, for me it's normal because I grew up like this, but musically speaking I feel that it's quite interesting because they are two different genres, but at the same time very, with something very, common.

Even in food I feel that it is something very common, they are spicy and rich foods. People are also nice in both places and if they make a good connection.

What are you like at the time of writing?

When it comes to composing I don't think much about the genre or the country, I always grab the guitar and start with an idea and little by little it grabs the “rola” (song) and it comes out naturally because I grew up with the two musicians in the house, so I already have it in my ear and that's what comes out.

But the influence of Mexican music such as: boleros, son jarocho and even the music of marimba, from Chiapas, everything, combined with what I knew about my father, which is Arabic, Jewish, Mediterranean music because the fusion came out.

How did you get started in music?

My mom is a psychologist, but she likes to play guitar and there is always guitar in the house and piano, a keyboard and that's how I started out very curious with the guitar and started playing with other bands.

At the age of 18 or 19 I started writing my songs, it gave me that concern to say who I am. If I was someone who played jazz/rock, I needed to say who I am and not play another kind of genre.

Then I started composing and when you start composing and you have the need to go record and go to the studio and then start the first album, the second album and that's how you keep going.

How did you feel when you finished the first album?

On the first album I recorded like three times before it came out because it didn't come out, music didn't sound like I wanted.

When I recorded an album, it didn't work out and then I recorded another one and until the third time I already grabbed the sound I had in mind and for me it was nice that I could make my music, make my proposal and over the years, the more you do it the better you get.

On your album you have a mix of artists and I wanted to know, was it hard for you to keep up a rhythm?

The album “Unproffesional” was at a time when I lived in New York and because there is making music of that kind because it is facilitated because you have all the countries in different neighborhoods, I invited them to the studio and that's how we made the album.

When I lived in Israel I had to make music with people there and now I'm in Mexico and I'm recording. I'm flowing depends on where I am and the musicians that surround me and that's how I make my music.

What was this Covid experience like, I imagine that's where you developed the most music?

Yes, from one day to the next we were locked up, I had events, but they couldn't be done anymore and I was making music from my computer, no way that I didn't start doing anything.

We have to reinvent ourselves and that is how the new album that will be released in the coming months was born.

What other events are you going to be at?

On April 8 I will be playing in Xalapa with some friends and next week there are two plays in Israel. The light is already being seen.

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