Mexican pianist defies simple labels
WITH black curly hair and lively bright eyes, 56-year-old Mexican pianist Hector Infanzon has a slightly naughty look when he talks.
“I like playing, both playing the music and playing with the music,” he says. “It is one of the most joyful entertainments in my life.”
Born into a family of musicians in 1959, Infanzon has been exposed to a lot of music instruments since childhood, but never started professional training until the age of 17.
Both his brother and Infanzon played the instruments like toys, and his father also joined them sometimes without posing any serious preaching.
Infanzon considers the years of playing around with music as precious, as he was provided access to all kinds of music and instruments without pressure. And most importantly, he was shown the great joy that music could bring.
“I was lucky not to have been forced to practice anything throughout my childhood. You definitely don’t want that as a child. All the memories about music for me were the fun and joy,” Infanzon says.
When he reached 17, he chose to begin formal piano studies at Mexico’s Superior School of Music.
“I have to admit that it was a late start for a professional musician,” says Infanzon. “Some musicians may already have had a career at 17, but I never see those 17 years as a waste; rather they helped me become who I am today.”
While studying classical music, Infanzon says he remained open to all genres. Apart from performing as a soloist with the Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra, Infanzon has also collaborated often with Afro-Caribbean groups, folk and rock, as well as various pop artists.
He credits his stint at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the United States, in 1985 with exposing himself to jazz and improvisation, which later led him to more versatile compositions.
“Improvisation is a very important music language. It does not only exist in jazz, but also classical, pop, Latin and rock as well. It sparkles on stage as a way for the musicians to communicate,” Infanzon says. “But these ideas often get lost. It’s a shame.”
To keep the ideas, Infanzon started recording some of his improvisations and developing complete compositions based on them.
“It is always amazing to play the melody on the piano while imagining how it would sound for an orchestra, an ensemble or a jazz band,” Infanzon says.
His works often carry a number of different music types that have influenced him, which prevents him from being identified with one particular music genre.
He draws elements from Mexican folklore, classical and Latin American musical idioms and the Afro Caribbean tradition, while shaping it all within his own ideas.
And always, he leaves an open section for improvisation — the crucial element that rounds everything into a signature Infanzon song.
“Though my work is often identified as jazz due to the improvisation, I would call it ‘hybrid music,’ as it is a mix of everything. And I am a ‘hybrid improviser,’ as I bring all the music languages into my compositions,” Infanzon says.
Together with his quartet, Infanzon staged concerts at the Fairmont Peace Hotel’s Jazz Bar and JZ Club in Shanghai last week. He cooperated with the local Old Jazz Band, whose members are an average age of 80, and he expects to mingle more with young musicians next time.
“I am interested about what is happening in China today, though the traditional ones may also attract me. For me, the best way to achieve that is to be there and talk with the young,” Infanzon says. “Of course, you can explore on the Internet; but I don’t like that way, as you don’t feel it by typing on the computer.”
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