Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
Encyclopedia
The Flying Bulgars is a Canadian
folk music
band, who play original music rooted in the folk and celebration music of Jews originating in Eastern Europe
. The band's music adds elements of rock
, jazz
and salsa
.
The Bulgars sixth studio album Tumbling Into Light was released November 10, 2009. The recording was produced by David Newfeld and engineered by Jeremy Darby at the Canterbury Music Company. For the first time the Flying Bulgars are writing songs in English for the upcoming album.
The band currently consists of David Buchbinder, Dave Wall, Max Senitt, Peter Lutek, Tania Gill and Victor Bateman.
-based ensemble. The band has been a significant part of the so-called 'Klezmer Revival' that began in the early 1980s, both in Canada and around the world. Formed by trumpeter and bandleader David Buchbinder in 1987, and now co-lead with Dave Wall, The Flying Bulgars (the Bulgar in the group's name refers to a dance form not an ethnic group) were a product of the rebirth of interest in Yiddish culture in North America.
In 2008, the group reached its 20th anniversary, and to celebrate they are releasing their sixth CD in November 2008. All new, original material with songs written for the first time in English are presented with a contemporary folk/alternative sound yet with a solid Jewish-themed foundation. Full of darkness and hope, the tunes mix poetry, anger and longing in a heady mix of Klezmer-inspired melodies. With a fully orchestrated alt-pop sound recorded with the help of Dave Newfield, the mastermind behind successful productions such as Broken Social Scene
, it is a time of creative renewal for a band with intents of reinventing itself and moving towards a wider audience.
Leader, main composer and founder David Buchbinder has studied with some of the most accomplished jazz men around, from Freddie Stone
to Kenny Wheeler
to Muhal Richard Abrams
. He is at home playing many styles of contemporary music and is breaking out as a composer of film and concert music. In addition to leading his own group, drummer Max Senitt has a focus on Latin music and has played with professionals such as Hilario Duran
. Tania Gill is the pianist and composes for several jazz ensembles. Bass master, Victor Bateman recently returned to the band after a long absence, well known for his work with an almost infinite variety of jazz, folk, world and pop artists. Peter Lutek's skills as a tenor and soprano saxophonist and with the clarinet have been appreciated by several philharmonic orchestras. Lead vocalist Dave Wall came to the Flying Bulgars from the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
with whom he recorded three CDs.
The Flying Bulgars combine a love for tradition with a fearless commitment to experimentation that has drawn in fans from across Canada and internationally. From the Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife to the WOMAD festival in Morcombe, England, to the Tollwood Festival in Munich, to the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in New York, the music is far from the traditional Klezmer found at weddings and bar mitzvahs—it is a dynamic force in Canadian contemporary World Music
. The Bulgars have recorded five CDs and have received two Juno
nominations, and they are still the only Klezmer band to have created a music video which received much airplay on MuchMusic
.
and the immigrant ghettos of North America, Klezmer music brought together the traditions of the Tsarist Russian military band, gypsy folk music, Hasidic religious song, and Afro-American jazz. The Flying Bulgars blend those traditions with the remarkable talents of six great musicians on trumpet, bass, drums, clarinet, piano and vocals. Formed by trumpeter and leader David Buchbinder in 1987, The Flying Bulgars (the Bulgar in the group's name refers to a dance form not an ethnic group) were a product of the rebirth of interest in Yiddish culture in North America. After the founding of Israel in 1948, the Yiddish language and the art associated with it were marginalized by many Jews for whom Yiddish represented the ghettos of Eastern Europe and the holocaust. In the fifties and sixties it was chic to sing songs in Hebrew, the language of the new Jewish state. In 1975 a group of young musicians in San Francisco, The Klezmorim, released an album called East Side Wedding and the Klezmer renaissance was on. Across North America and Europe dozens of new groups sprang up reclaiming the tradition of Eastern European Jewish music. As the term "world music" became fashionable, Klezmer music became one of its constituents. The Flying Bulgars became the most prominent Canadian members of the international Klezmer fraternity, as well as being regarded as one of the most adventurous and accomplished Klezmer groups around.
Yet at precisely the time when the band was formed something else was happening in Klezmer music. In New York a group of young adventurous musicians were taking Klezmer to the next stage. Klezmer music had always been a fusion of old and new world traditions, Polish dance tunes and jazz, Jewish tradition and Afro-American contemporary popular music. The Jewish New Wave, as it came to be called, brought funk, r&b, new music and free jazz into the mix, and The Flying Bulgars found that approach suited them just fine. While the band still performs material from the early days of Klezmer, the vast majority of its repertoire is new music written by band members. Today the band is far from the traditional Klezmer found at weddings and bar mitzvahs; it is a dynamic force in Canadian contemporary music, combining a love for tradition with a fearless commitment to experimentation.
Just as the classic Klezmer (the word means itinerant musician) of the nineteen twenties mixed everything they knew and heard to make their music, so the members of The Flying Bulgars bring their own broad musical experience to the band in its 21st century configuration. Leader, main composer and founder David Buchbinder has studied with some of the most accomplished jazz men around from Freddie Stone to Kenny Wheeler to Muhal Richard Abrams. He is at home playing many styles of contemporary music and is breaking out as a composer of film and concert music. Daniel Barnes is a highly accomplished drummer whose credits include Joe Sealey's Juno award winning Africville Suite and touring with Ethiopian diva Aster Aweke. Marilyn Lerner is involved in so many projects it is hard to list them all. A pianist of uncommon ability her love for Klezmer based music is reflected in her work with the Bulgars, her collaboration with Dave Wall on a project of contemporary Yiddish song and her membership in Both Ends of the Earth. Bob Stevenson, on clarinet and bass clarinet, brings his long experience in jazz and new music to Klezmer. In addition to ensembles like Arraymusic and Hemisperes, he conducted the 20 piece Klezmer Ashkenaz Orchestra. Bass master, Victor Bateman recently returned to the band after a long absence. Victor was the band's first bassist. He is well known for his work with an almost infinite variety of jazz, folk, world and pop artists as well as his own work as a band leader and very individual interpreter of folk music. He also leads workshops in improvisation. Dave Wall came to the Flying Bulgars from the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir with whom he recorded three CDs. Moved by a desire to focus on his Yiddish roots, Dave has become the finest singer of Yiddish song in the country.
Since their founding in 1987 The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band has worked consistently to develop a musical language that is specific to its place and time, rooted squarely in a folk tradition while embracing the possibilities of the present. This attention to the development of a personal sound along with a highly charged performance style has opened extensive performing opportunities over the years, allowing the band tour across Canada and internationally. From the Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife to the WOMAD festival in Morcombe, England, to the Tollwood Festival in Munich, to the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in New York.. They have recorded five CDs, which are distributed internationally and have received two Juno nominations, and are still the only klezmer band to have created a music video, which received much airplay on MuchMusic. For many years the group has been recognized for their unique approach to new Yiddish (klezmer) music, a reputation that has grown with their last several projects.
In May 2002 the Flying Bulgars performed their new show - Shekhine-Spirit in the Natural World before a sold out crowd at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre. This evening length concert (which featured guest artists Jane Bunnett and Alex Poch-Goldin) was the group's first truly "theatrical" presentation, melding music, poetry and visual element (stage design/video). The audience response to this show was overwhelming and inspiring.
A recording of this new work produced by David Travers-Smith and featuring new compositions by every band member, was released in June 2003. Hailed as "a sophisticated, diverse and sweet return to the studio" and "more complex than anything the Toronto ensemble has tackled before", Sweet Return marks the continued evolution of one of the Canada's most accomplished and innovative ensembles. It received a Juno nomination; the third time the band has been so honoured.
The last year has been busy for the band. In addition to many shows in their hometown of Toronto they headlined at Ottawa's Tulip Festival in May and June saw them in Nova Scotia at the Multicultural Festival in Dartmouth. In July they were at the Festival d'ete in Quebec City and the Mission and Islands folk music Festivals in BC. In October the Flying Bulgars performed in Montreal and graced soft-seat theaters in Atlantic Canada. The band started off this year with an appearance as a headliner at the Chutzpah! Jewish Music Festival in Vancouver, and was thrilled to have the performance recorded by the CBC for an upcoming radio concert series.
In 2008, the group has reached its 20th anniversary—and to celebrate: the release of their sixth CD this November. All new, original material with songs written for the first time in English are presented with a contemporary folk/alternative sound yet with a solid Jewish-themed foundation. Full of darkness and hope, the tunes mix poetry, anger and longing in a heady mix of Klezmer-inspired melodies. With a fully orchestrated alt-pop sound recorded with the help of Dave Newfield, the mastermind behind successful productions such as Broken Social Scene, it is a time of creative renewal for a band aiming to reinvent itself and move towards a wider audience.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band, who play original music rooted in the folk and celebration music of Jews originating in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. The band's music adds elements of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
.
The Bulgars sixth studio album Tumbling Into Light was released November 10, 2009. The recording was produced by David Newfeld and engineered by Jeremy Darby at the Canterbury Music Company. For the first time the Flying Bulgars are writing songs in English for the upcoming album.
The band currently consists of David Buchbinder, Dave Wall, Max Senitt, Peter Lutek, Tania Gill and Victor Bateman.
Band Bio
The Flying Bulgars is a TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based ensemble. The band has been a significant part of the so-called 'Klezmer Revival' that began in the early 1980s, both in Canada and around the world. Formed by trumpeter and bandleader David Buchbinder in 1987, and now co-lead with Dave Wall, The Flying Bulgars (the Bulgar in the group's name refers to a dance form not an ethnic group) were a product of the rebirth of interest in Yiddish culture in North America.
In 2008, the group reached its 20th anniversary, and to celebrate they are releasing their sixth CD in November 2008. All new, original material with songs written for the first time in English are presented with a contemporary folk/alternative sound yet with a solid Jewish-themed foundation. Full of darkness and hope, the tunes mix poetry, anger and longing in a heady mix of Klezmer-inspired melodies. With a fully orchestrated alt-pop sound recorded with the help of Dave Newfield, the mastermind behind successful productions such as Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
, it is a time of creative renewal for a band with intents of reinventing itself and moving towards a wider audience.
Leader, main composer and founder David Buchbinder has studied with some of the most accomplished jazz men around, from Freddie Stone
Freddie Stone
Freddie Stone is an African-American musician, best known for his role as co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist in the band Sly & The Family Stone, the frontman for which was his brother Sly Stone...
to Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
to Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
. He is at home playing many styles of contemporary music and is breaking out as a composer of film and concert music. In addition to leading his own group, drummer Max Senitt has a focus on Latin music and has played with professionals such as Hilario Duran
Hilario Durán
Hilario Durán is a Cuban jazz pianist.Durán studied at the Arnadeo Roldan Music Institute in Havana, studying tumbao with Evaristo Aparicio, composition and conducting from German Pifferrer, and orchestration from Guillermo Barreto. He formed a group in the 1970s called Los D'Siempre, which melded...
. Tania Gill is the pianist and composes for several jazz ensembles. Bass master, Victor Bateman recently returned to the band after a long absence, well known for his work with an almost infinite variety of jazz, folk, world and pop artists. Peter Lutek's skills as a tenor and soprano saxophonist and with the clarinet have been appreciated by several philharmonic orchestras. Lead vocalist Dave Wall came to the Flying Bulgars from the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir were a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in 1985 in Toronto, Ontario. Their R&B-flavoured rock made them a mainstay on Canadian campus radio in the early 1990s, but the band never quite broke through to the mainstream....
with whom he recorded three CDs.
The Flying Bulgars combine a love for tradition with a fearless commitment to experimentation that has drawn in fans from across Canada and internationally. From the Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife to the WOMAD festival in Morcombe, England, to the Tollwood Festival in Munich, to the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in New York, the music is far from the traditional Klezmer found at weddings and bar mitzvahs—it is a dynamic force in Canadian contemporary World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. The Bulgars have recorded five CDs and have received two Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nominations, and they are still the only Klezmer band to have created a music video which received much airplay on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
.
Extended History
Rooted in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and the immigrant ghettos of North America, Klezmer music brought together the traditions of the Tsarist Russian military band, gypsy folk music, Hasidic religious song, and Afro-American jazz. The Flying Bulgars blend those traditions with the remarkable talents of six great musicians on trumpet, bass, drums, clarinet, piano and vocals. Formed by trumpeter and leader David Buchbinder in 1987, The Flying Bulgars (the Bulgar in the group's name refers to a dance form not an ethnic group) were a product of the rebirth of interest in Yiddish culture in North America. After the founding of Israel in 1948, the Yiddish language and the art associated with it were marginalized by many Jews for whom Yiddish represented the ghettos of Eastern Europe and the holocaust. In the fifties and sixties it was chic to sing songs in Hebrew, the language of the new Jewish state. In 1975 a group of young musicians in San Francisco, The Klezmorim, released an album called East Side Wedding and the Klezmer renaissance was on. Across North America and Europe dozens of new groups sprang up reclaiming the tradition of Eastern European Jewish music. As the term "world music" became fashionable, Klezmer music became one of its constituents. The Flying Bulgars became the most prominent Canadian members of the international Klezmer fraternity, as well as being regarded as one of the most adventurous and accomplished Klezmer groups around.
Yet at precisely the time when the band was formed something else was happening in Klezmer music. In New York a group of young adventurous musicians were taking Klezmer to the next stage. Klezmer music had always been a fusion of old and new world traditions, Polish dance tunes and jazz, Jewish tradition and Afro-American contemporary popular music. The Jewish New Wave, as it came to be called, brought funk, r&b, new music and free jazz into the mix, and The Flying Bulgars found that approach suited them just fine. While the band still performs material from the early days of Klezmer, the vast majority of its repertoire is new music written by band members. Today the band is far from the traditional Klezmer found at weddings and bar mitzvahs; it is a dynamic force in Canadian contemporary music, combining a love for tradition with a fearless commitment to experimentation.
Just as the classic Klezmer (the word means itinerant musician) of the nineteen twenties mixed everything they knew and heard to make their music, so the members of The Flying Bulgars bring their own broad musical experience to the band in its 21st century configuration. Leader, main composer and founder David Buchbinder has studied with some of the most accomplished jazz men around from Freddie Stone to Kenny Wheeler to Muhal Richard Abrams. He is at home playing many styles of contemporary music and is breaking out as a composer of film and concert music. Daniel Barnes is a highly accomplished drummer whose credits include Joe Sealey's Juno award winning Africville Suite and touring with Ethiopian diva Aster Aweke. Marilyn Lerner is involved in so many projects it is hard to list them all. A pianist of uncommon ability her love for Klezmer based music is reflected in her work with the Bulgars, her collaboration with Dave Wall on a project of contemporary Yiddish song and her membership in Both Ends of the Earth. Bob Stevenson, on clarinet and bass clarinet, brings his long experience in jazz and new music to Klezmer. In addition to ensembles like Arraymusic and Hemisperes, he conducted the 20 piece Klezmer Ashkenaz Orchestra. Bass master, Victor Bateman recently returned to the band after a long absence. Victor was the band's first bassist. He is well known for his work with an almost infinite variety of jazz, folk, world and pop artists as well as his own work as a band leader and very individual interpreter of folk music. He also leads workshops in improvisation. Dave Wall came to the Flying Bulgars from the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir with whom he recorded three CDs. Moved by a desire to focus on his Yiddish roots, Dave has become the finest singer of Yiddish song in the country.
Since their founding in 1987 The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band has worked consistently to develop a musical language that is specific to its place and time, rooted squarely in a folk tradition while embracing the possibilities of the present. This attention to the development of a personal sound along with a highly charged performance style has opened extensive performing opportunities over the years, allowing the band tour across Canada and internationally. From the Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife to the WOMAD festival in Morcombe, England, to the Tollwood Festival in Munich, to the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in New York.. They have recorded five CDs, which are distributed internationally and have received two Juno nominations, and are still the only klezmer band to have created a music video, which received much airplay on MuchMusic. For many years the group has been recognized for their unique approach to new Yiddish (klezmer) music, a reputation that has grown with their last several projects.
In May 2002 the Flying Bulgars performed their new show - Shekhine-Spirit in the Natural World before a sold out crowd at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre. This evening length concert (which featured guest artists Jane Bunnett and Alex Poch-Goldin) was the group's first truly "theatrical" presentation, melding music, poetry and visual element (stage design/video). The audience response to this show was overwhelming and inspiring.
A recording of this new work produced by David Travers-Smith and featuring new compositions by every band member, was released in June 2003. Hailed as "a sophisticated, diverse and sweet return to the studio" and "more complex than anything the Toronto ensemble has tackled before", Sweet Return marks the continued evolution of one of the Canada's most accomplished and innovative ensembles. It received a Juno nomination; the third time the band has been so honoured.
The last year has been busy for the band. In addition to many shows in their hometown of Toronto they headlined at Ottawa's Tulip Festival in May and June saw them in Nova Scotia at the Multicultural Festival in Dartmouth. In July they were at the Festival d'ete in Quebec City and the Mission and Islands folk music Festivals in BC. In October the Flying Bulgars performed in Montreal and graced soft-seat theaters in Atlantic Canada. The band started off this year with an appearance as a headliner at the Chutzpah! Jewish Music Festival in Vancouver, and was thrilled to have the performance recorded by the CBC for an upcoming radio concert series.
In 2008, the group has reached its 20th anniversary—and to celebrate: the release of their sixth CD this November. All new, original material with songs written for the first time in English are presented with a contemporary folk/alternative sound yet with a solid Jewish-themed foundation. Full of darkness and hope, the tunes mix poetry, anger and longing in a heady mix of Klezmer-inspired melodies. With a fully orchestrated alt-pop sound recorded with the help of Dave Newfield, the mastermind behind successful productions such as Broken Social Scene, it is a time of creative renewal for a band aiming to reinvent itself and move towards a wider audience.
Albums
- Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band - 1990
- Agada - 1993
- Fire - 1996
- Tsirkus - 1999
- Sweet Return - 2003
- Tumbling Into Light - 2009