KF: Yotam, you are one of the most accomplished, in-demand, and versatile guitarists of this generation. What can listeners expect to hear from the Django debut of your new Brazilian Quartet on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:30PM?

YS: On May 3rd, you’re going to hear a project I’ve been working on for the past few years, which is a Brazilian quartet playing lesser-known Brazilian music such as Choro, Samba, Frevo, Baiao, and Forro by lesser-known composers.

KF: Originally from Telaviv, Israel, how did you first discover Brazilian music? What are some of your influences in the genre?

YS: I first discovered Brazilian music when I was a child back in the 80’s. Bossa Nova was kind of popular, and also in Israel there was some kind of a trial to translate some of these songs to Hebrew, and that stuck with me early on. And then I found the music of Jobim too, and that was kind of a gateway for me to get into it.

KF: You’ve assembled a top-notch band for this gig! Tell us a little about these musicians and why you chose them.

YS: The band members are: Vitor Goncalves on piano and accordion, one of the best musicians and a very accomplished Brazilian musician that knows a lot about this music. Eduardo Belo from Brasilia, great bass player. And Dennis Bulhoes, a drummer from the North East of Brazil. A lot of the music we are going to play are actually from there, and he really plays those styles very authentically.

KF: Have you ever performed in Brazil? How was the experience for you?

YS: I have performed in Brazil a bunch of times, and every time it was a very memorable experience. I got to meet a lot of great musicians and a lot of my heroes and made friends with them even.

KF: How has knowledge of Brazilian music affected you as a musician as a whole, and also as a composer?

YS: I think it has deeply influenced my music and you can hear it in my original music as well. Definitely I think Brazilian music is a very rich source for anyone that likes beautiful harmonies, melodies, and of course rhythms, and it had a profound effect on me for sure.

KF: What’s on the horizon for Yotam Silberstein? Any new projects and/or performances you’d like to let your fans know about?

YS: My new album is coming out in September, on September 14th, and this summer I’m going to be touring quite a lot. I’ll be in Argentina in May, launching my collaboration with Argentinian genius Carlos Aguirre. After that I’ll be in Europe with the John Patitucci Trio, and also in August I’ll be teaching in Japan, like I do every year at the Seiko Jazz Camp. And of course, playing at the Django more!

KF: Lastly, where is the best spot in NYC for authentic Israeli food?

YS: Is in my house! It’s been very hard to find authentic really good food for me, so especially during the pandemic times I’ve been really practicing my cooking a lot. Hopefully it’s good, I think it’s really good!