Ilan Chester (Ilan Czenstochouski) was born in Jaffa, Israel on July 30th 1952 but was raised in Venezuela. His parents, from Jewish roots, zionists escaping from World War II, arrived in Venezuela in 1954. He studied at Colegio Moral y Luces where he later graduated. Ilan Chester has incorporated a global range of influences into his music. Inspired by Tito Rodriquez, the Puerto Rican multi-instrumentalist who was one of the spearheads of New York's Latin music scene, Chester was equally enamored of American R&B and British rock.