Israeli jazz musician takes center stage in Colombia

Israeli jazz guitarist and composer Yoav Eshed enchanted the audience of two major cultural festivals in Colombia in the fall.

Eshed held a concert at the Book and Culture Festival in Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia. The festival attracts some 500,000 visitors. It was held in the botanical gardens in Carabobo. The artist’s performance received a very warm welcome.

Born in Israel into a family of musicians, Eshed started to play the piano at age 3. Today he is based in Brooklyn aמd is active both in New York and in Europe. He plays for various bands and leads his Trio Millionaires, as well as the Yoav Eshed Quartet and an all-star Israeli 7-piece band, Greenpoint.

The musician also took part in the Book Fair in Cali, Colombia’s third city, in October. Israel was chosen as the Guest of Honor Country.

The opening of the fair was attended by Cali mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina, the director of the fair, novelist and writer Paola Guevara, the city’s secretary of culture Ronald Mayorga, and Jewish community leader Angel Spiwak.

The Embassy of Israel in Bogota supported Eshed’s concert as well as other initiatives, including the performance by Israeli actor and playwright Ornan Braier, who presented his play LOVE MACHINE. The audience could also taste Israeli cuisine thanks to the dishes prepared by some Israeli chefs who live locally.