The band's final line-up consisted of David Buchbinder (trumpet),[1] Dave Wall (of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir) (guitar), Max Senitt (drums), Peter Lutek (woodwinds), Tania Gill (piano) and Victor Bateman (bass).
In 1975, a group of young San Francisco musicians, 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.
Formed by Buchbinder in 1988, and co-led by Dave Wall, The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band was a product of the rebirth of interest in Yiddish culture in North America.
[27] In March 2001, the Flying Bulgars were part of Toronto's Feast of the East festival; their performance was aired on CBC Radio's Play with Jian Ghomeshi.
[28] In May 2002, the Flying Bulgars performed their show Shekhine-Spirit in the Natural World before a sold-out crowd at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre.
[29][30] The concert (which featured guest artists Jane Bunnett, Levon Ichkhanian, Rick Shadrach Lazar, Stephen Donald and Alex Poch-Goldin) was the group's first theatrical presentation, melding music, poetry and visual elements (stage design and video).
A recording of this work, produced by David Travers-Smith and featuring new compositions by every band member, was released in June 2003 as Sweet Return.
[31][32][33][34] Sweet Return received rave reviews and was nominated as World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2004.