"I am a restless person and I always like to be busy. When I have nothing to do I get nervous, I enjoy working and creating," says singer Esther Ibáñez, alias Ster Wax, before a fresh glass of Barbadillo.
She has arrived at the Bar at dusk, like a good night owl, and immediately her blue eyes have turned towards the transistor, as if it were the telescopic sight of a rifle, indicating that Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, LaVern Baker or Mose Allison could well be playing, and revealing the same smile as when she is giving her all on stage. "Although I also like silence," she adds after a brief moment of reflection.
"At 21 I set up a small beauty business ---she explains--- which I have managed to keep afloat by combining it with music and all my projects and, in my free time, I paint canvases. Today I have two wonderful people under my charge and I have much more freedom to go on tour, I am in a very creative moment. Although I started singing late, I have been lucky and I have surrounded myself with people who have given me the opportunity to grow as a vocalist."
--- Maintaining a business and building a musical career. A lot of stress, right?
--- I always live with a point of stress, that's my comfort zone!
Esther already has a decade of experience at the helm of the Wax & Boogie project, created with her partner, the vibrant pianist David Giorcelli. "We have played in many blues, jazz and black music festivals, especially in Spain, France or Switzerland. Now we are about to present our fifth album, in collaboration with the English saxophonist Drew Davies, with whom we recorded for the second time this summer in his Jump Start studios, near Paris."
"I don't like sleepy people ---the parishioner asserts, almost slapping the bar's formica---, the awake ones are the ones who move the world. With the pandemic, the drowsy ones have had the perfect excuse not to do things, not to move from the sofa."
A world for the awake
Needless to say, she has never been asleep: "When I was young I had a very complicated love relationship. One day we were in the car and I started singing. He told me to shut up and at that moment I thought, 'I'm going to sing so loud that your ears are going to burst.' That's when I realized what I really wanted: blues is feeling, passion, struggle. If you haven't lived through complicated moments, it's very difficult to transmit it to the public. It's music for sufferers, that's what makes it so special."
That was the fuse whose spark led that budding singer to join The Sparkles, a female Doo Wop and Vocal R&B band led by musician and composer Lidia Sobrino. In fact, she will soon reunite with that group for some rehearsals. "I don't know if gigs will come out, but I feel like getting back in touch and, why not?, recording something."
Then came Taboo, a monthly party at Apolo directed by saxophonist and composer Dani Nel·lo. "He trusted me to give voice to those nights in its last seasons and it was during that time that I met David and the magic of Wax & Boogie emerged." And there was never again time to fall asleep, for an Esther who expresses a desire that is like a thorn in her side and that she assures she will remove, sooner or later: "To record a soul album. I've had it in my head for a long time, but with my schedule, right now, it's impossible."
Hunger for a cultural boost
"I love Barcelona!!!" ---exclaims the singer---. "It's a vibrant city, with diverse people. You never get bored, I guess that's why it's my favorite city. On the other hand ---she clarifies---, I think it needs a very big cultural push. I would have loved to live in the Barcelona of the 20s, with the Paralelo at full with theaters and cabarets functioning. It's a shame to see how there are so many inactive theaters and concert halls not working." And she confesses, laughing: "Sometimes I feel like Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris."
About the city, Esther doesn't like the mix of scooters, bikes, and cars. "I think it's not ready for this yet." She also detests pigeons and "the smell of sewage in some corners."
"Barcelona is a vibrant city, with diverse people. You never get bored, I guess that's why it's my favorite city"Proud to be able to dedicate herself professionally to what she likes and is passionate about, and of her family "who have always helped and supported me," and of not stopping seeing her lifelong friends, the regular confesses ---about to finish her glass of Barbadillo--- that she loves to sit "on the terrace of the Rock and Roll Coffeeof Gràcia, chat with the owner, Bego, and have the flower boy appear to greet us and recite some proverbs in Catalan, which are always the same, but I love that moment."
--- Proverbs no, but here we can declaim the menu. Will you want to have dinner?
--- The only things I don't eat are tripe and snails, and with a plate of pasta, I'm quickly won over.
David, her artistic and romantic partner, reaches her at the bar, and Esther Ibáñez intensifies her smile, before asking for more wine and stating, happy and categorical: "How good bars are!"