By Francisco Peyret
Francisco Peyret (FP): How was your first encounter with San Miguel?
Magos Herrera (MH): I used to come on weekends, and that’s when I met Ken Basman, an extraordinary guitarist I worked with and recorded with for many years. Ken really made the San Miguel scene something very special for me. So, I kept traveling to San Miguel for years, releasing and recording albums while living in Mexico.
FP: I remember that time. You already had a career and recognition in Mexico, but suddenly you appeared on the music scene in New York. How did that happen?
MH: Sixteen years ago, I moved to New York. Although my connection with Mexico remains very strong, I felt the need to internationalize myself. I had a beautiful career in Mexico; I’m very fortunate and grateful. But I was curious to grow, to keep growing as an artist, to explore my artistic identity, and to play with different musicians.
I was curious to present my music to the world and enrich myself through that experience, to enrich myself with that possibility. It was mainly about growth.
FP: Tell us about your career in New York. It can’t be easy to survive and stand out there.
MH: Indeed, it’s not easy. The first years were a struggle, very difficult, because of going from having a comfortable situation and an established career in Mexico to suddenly arriving in a place where none of that matters, where you have to open up and conquer your space in a highly competitive and talented community of musicians.
It was important to understand that and find my place without giving up. I had to grow in the areas I needed to grow, study what I had to study and start producing to continue growing in that process. But I have to say, it’s very challenging. The scene is incredibly tough, but also generous in the sense that as you keep producing, creating, and maturing your artistic identity with consistency and perseverance, the scene becomes very supportive.
In New York, you’re never entirely comfortable, which is a good thing because it forces you to grow.
FP: And how was it for you during the pandemic? Was it difficult?
MH: During the pandemic, my husband and I decided to stay in Mexico. We spent the isolation period in San Miguel once the borders closed. I wanted to be close to my family and in a larger space to be near nature. It was difficult in the sense that we had no work for a year, no live concerts. However, it was also very productive. I recorded an album remotely, collaborating with 30 musicians from around the world during the isolation. I was always productive in a different way from performing live. I recorded songs and held distance concerts through streaming.
Overall, it was an interesting time for reflection and connecting with nature. In fact, that’s where the inspiration for my new album comes from.
FP: That comes across in your new album, «Aire.» It seems to me that the pandemic has stirred something within us, that we are living in a new reality and trying to connect with people and nature in different ways. How are you experiencing it?
MH: Absolutely. For me, the isolation was an opportunity for an important inner journey and reconnection with my nature. And now I am integrating into a different world because I believe I am encountering a different world. As you mentioned, how we communicate and how we relate and rediscover it are different. I am trying to understand what this new world is and what the new generations are about.
I also feel that as humans, we have a lot of healing to do psychologically and emotionally. From my perspective, or at least from my experience during the pandemic, I’m trying to approach it with a positive mindset. This new album is an ode of gratitude for pausing this human experience while also celebrating all the things that make us human and that we discovered during the pandemic.
I also believe that as humans, we have shown resilience, creativity, and the ability to come together as a community in our own ways. So, it’s a way of honoring the losses but also celebrating the aspects that make us human—our humanity and celebrating it together. The album intends to move forward with joy.
FP: You have something unique because you’re in New York, but you still have a presence in Mexico. How do you navigate these two very different worlds with different audiences?
MH: As I see it, it’s important for me to have a presence in Mexico because it’s my country, and I always return emotionally. It’s important for me to stay connected with my country for my artistic process and my artistic and personal identity.
And in terms of repertoire, I believe that my artistic proposal, my album, and my story resonate with those who need to resonate with it, even if I face different audiences. Let’s say it appeals to those whom it needs to appeal to!
I think in both places, New York and Mexico, and wherever I perform in the world, there are always generous audiences. In places like New York, there are many artists who, like me, have a plural identity. We absorb things from the world as a universal gesture that allows us to connect with others.
Especially within the jazz community, there are countless musicians in New York from around the world who, in a way, bring their own voices and languages. You clearly hear a universal language, whether it’s the voice of Africa, Asia, or Argentina. So, I believe the world is ready for these conversations, and so is the audience that has followed me in Mexico for so many years. I’m very fortunate and grateful.
FP: Lastly, tell us about your upcoming concerts, Magos.
MH: Sure. We will have two concerts on June 3 in San Miguel de Allende at the Angela Peralta Theater, as part of the theater’s reopening. I feel honored to be part of this renovation. And on Sunday, June 4, we will be at the Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City. Both concerts start at 7pm, and I will be presenting my new album «Aire» with my touring trio: Vinicius Gomes from Brazil on guitar, Benjamín García from Mexico on double bass, and Alex Kautz from Brazil on drums. In addition, I’m thrilled to collaborate with the José White string quartet from Aguascalientes, Mexico. We will present the new album in its entirety.
