Simja Dujov & Friends

The Canadian premiere of the internationally acclaimed, genre-defying musician, artist and educator SIMJA DUJOV, who harvests local Latin musical traditions of Argentina and blends these with his Eastern European Jewish roots.

The Buenos Aires-based artist explores the explosive fusion of Latin rhythms – cumbia, reggaeton, cuarteto – and mashes these genres with electro-Klezmer, Balkan, Gypsy-punk and other musical morsels.

Listen: www.simjadujov.com.ar

Fresh off an extensive tour of France, Dujov will be immersed in an intense musical exchange for the first time with six Toronto musicians, culminating in a one-time only concert – his first ever Canadian performance – SIMJA DUJOV & FRIENDS at Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas Street West on February 27, 2013, at 8 PM.

Collaborating and performing with Dujov will be the Lemon Bucket Orkestra’s Chris Weatherstone (balkan folk-punk saxophone), violinist/fiddler Jessica Hana Deutsch, multi-instrumentalist Demetri Petsalakis (guitar/strings), drummer Max Senitt (from the Juno-award winning band Alex Cuba), and bassist Sam McLellan.

Dujov’s two-week residency will also include an intense schedule of educational activities with youth, including master classes and a free two-week workshop with SKETCH, an organization focused on bringing cultural opportunities to homeless and underprivileged youth in Toronto.

The music workshop with ten at-risk youth will explore different music traditions and styles while also working with each participant’s musical preferences and cultural background to develop a collaborative new composition with the participants. This completely original composition will be recorded at SKETCH music studios and the entire process will be documented by the participants of the SKETCH video initiative.

Presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts and Ashkenaz Foundation, together with SKETCH.

ABOUT SIMJA DUJOV

The grandson of Ukranian Jews that settled in Argentina, Simja Dujov is a young composer and player of Klezmer, Latin, Gypsy, and world music. He presents eclectic musical projects combining the roots of traditions brought to Argentina by Eastern European immigrants together with contemporary and multicultural streams to create an infusive and innovative sound. From traditional Klezmer music to Latin American and Middle Eastern rhythms and rock, Dujov’s unconventional acoustic and electronic on stage sets construct new possibilities for live music in every different city he visits – often in collaboration with local musicians and their own musical perspectives.

Dujov and his explosive music have traveled around the world, performing in clubs and festivals in Brazil, Chile, Belgium, Spain, France, and the United States. He is also a musical producer for other bands, a curator of cultural and music festivals, and is the resident DJ of Buenos Aires’ ultimate sensation band La Bomba de Tiempo. In his own words: “My music is a teleportation machine; sounds for dancing and taking a journey through the mountains of Klezmer, the charming rainforests of Latin rhythms and the roller coaster of gypsy beats.”

His first album Em Outras Palavras was released in Brazil in 2006. His second album Del Lado Equivocado was released in Argentina in 2008. His latest album Santificaras la Fiesta was released online in 2012 as a free downloadable album.

More info: www.simjadujov.com.ar

ABOUT ASHKENAZ FOUNDATION

The Ashkenaz Foundation is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an increased awareness of Yiddish and Jewish culture through the arts. Through its biennial festival and an expanding slate of year-round programming, Ashkenaz showcases the work of leading contemporary artists from Canada and around the world working in music, film, theatre, dance, literature, craft, and visual arts. More info at www.ashkenazfestival.com

ABOUT SKETCH

SKETCH creates opportunities for street involved and homeless people ages 15-29 to engage in the arts in a cross-discipline studio environment or in the community. More info at www.sketch.ca