KLEZMER JUICE Vibrant Yiddish Soul Mixed with Latin American Influences Klezmer Juice is the musical vision of Gustavo Bulgach. Although Klezmer is commonly associated with our European immigrants, Jews at the turn of the century were settling all parts of the Americas—nowhere more so than Buenos Aries, Argentina. Bulgach was born and raised there—a community that includes 200,000 Jews, the most in any Latin American city. He learned Klezmer music from his family at a young age. But he was equally inspired by secular music of Argentina. And as he traveled around the globe, he found that Klezmer music is the “soundtrack of the Diaspora.” He also realized, quite early on, that if he created music that honored his two backgrounds, people would like the result. Klezmer Juice recorded their first CD, Actions Speak Louder Than Words, which was met with critical acclaim, and rereleased worldwide. However, their big break came in 2004. Gustavo got a call from New Line Cinema for the movie The Wedding Crashers. The band has had one success after another: serving as the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance’s house band, playing the LA Marathon, selling out the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and putting on two sold-out shows at the REDCAT Disney Theater. Additionally, they were invited to perform at the Hollywood Bowl’s Summer Sounds Program, teaching and entertaining the audience, explaining the roots and evolution of Klezmer music—and selling out the program for two years straight. However, all of this success has only confirmed what Bulgach already knew: the new West Coast Klezmer movement that Klezmer Juice is driving, is not a new phenomenon: it is exactly what happened to jazz music in the 1950s…a musical genre popular within a specific culture catches on, reaching beyond cultural boundaries to gain popularity across a nation. “The rest of the world is really eager to listen to what’s going on in the West Coast Klezmer movement,” Bulgach states, “California is known for being a very diverse state, and that may be the bridge to connect Jewish life to mainstream life.” Bulgach still brings a childlike passion every time he plays. To him, that’s out of necessity. “You need to have that instinct, that trust that you can make it in this business—just like a child taking his first steps.” That sentiment was backed up by his teacher, the amazing Bennie Maupin, who told him “to be the best he could be,” and to challenge himself to bring out and share his musical identity. Klezmer has always been a musical genre in constant evolution. With all that they’ve accomplished so far, and the release of their latest album this fall—Klezmer Juice is adding to that development in a fresh, exciting way.