What is a Kugelplex?

Kugelplex is one of the most well-respected, young klezmer bands on the West Coast. Formed in 2001, the group plays weddings, concerts and festivals throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

The ensemble has played such venues as Oakland's Paramount Theater (as guest artists with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra), Jazz at Pearl's, Club Amnesia, Red Poppy Art House, as well as at many top wineries, restaurants, and synagogues.

Kugelplex feels equally at home presenting the artsier side of Klezmer in a seated concert hall as we do playing boisterous, soulful dance music in the traditional setting of weddings and other such celebratory occasions.

Who is Kugelplex?

Jason Ditzian (clarinet/business manager) is a multi-wind instrumentalist/composer who performs on single reeds, double reeds, flutes, and jews harps. He has composed and performed numerous works for dance, movie and theater, including an Isadora Duncan Dance Award winning collaboration with butoh masters Koichi and Hiroko Tamano, and touring as co-composer/band leader for the Tony Award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. Jason's recent work with Jewlia Eisenberg's Charming Hostess has taken him to Moscow and an upcoming CEC ArtsLink grant funded tour to Uzbekistan, as well as a commission by John Zorn for the newly opened Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Jason is horn section leader for soul band, Lord Loves a Working Man.

Isabel Douglass (accordion) performs in a variety of styles including tango, French musette, Balkan dance styles, klezmer, early jazz, and experimental music. She is currently performing with Tango No. 9, Rupa and the April Fishes, Eric McFadden and her group Les Croque-Notes, a quartet specializing in the music of George Brassens. Isabel has worked with a variety of ensembles, including The Japonize Elephants, Amaldecor, Eric Burdon, Beth Custer, and Faun Fables. Recent dance and theater groups she has collaborated with are Dandelion Dance Theater, Roccoco Risque, and Yuko Kaseki.

David Rosenfeld (mandolin/violin/badchan-emcee-poet-jester) is a multi-instrumentalist, ethnomusicologist, poet, dancer, visual artist, composer and creator of performance. Having completed a BA in studio art at UC Davis and an MA in music composition at Mills College, David is now following a carefully planned-out career as a totally spontaneous improviser. He has accompanied hundreds of dance classes on guitar, piano, and percussion, and is an experienced leader of klezmer dancing.

Marguerite Ostro (violin/vocals) is a free-lance recording artist, performer, and music teacher in the Bay Area, Marguerite Ostro's versatility on the violin demonstrates her diverse musical palate. She's recorded for Zion-I, MC Rai, Stewart Copland's Groove Addicts Studios, Pete Sears, and the PickPocket Ensemble, played as a guest artist with the Oakland Symphony and Shana Morrison, toured in France, Holland, Egypt, and the States, and performs regularly for Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation. She also holds a bachelor's in music and french from UC Berkeley.

Eugene Warren (bass) plays with many Bay Area musicians. He has studied both Jazz and Classical Bass at UCSF.

Aaron Kierbel (percussion) plays with wild abandon and a sense of humor. He especially likes playing for kids and animals since they seem to encourage these tendencies. Trained in jazz drumming, he has played with Brazilian funk rockers Bat Makumba, Ultra Gypsy Belly Dance Troup, Klez-X, and Uni and Her Ukelele. He currently drums with Rupa and the April Fishes, theremin lounge group Project Pimento, Charming Hostess, and The Gonifs. He has toured in Switzerland, France and the States and is pursuing a degree in Expressive Arts Therapy at C.I.I.S.

Kugelplexus Emeritus:

Aharon Weels Bholsta -- Whether playing Klezmer, Indian music, jazz, funk, West African poly-rhythm, Balkan meters, or various Middle Eastern rhythmic traditions, Aharon’s drumming contributes spice and melody to the role of time-keeper. Aharon plays in many ensembles including Aleph Null and Za'atar.

Rob Reich -- Since receiving his composition degree from the Oberlin Conservatory, Rob’s main squeeze has been the accordion. He also plays accordion with Gaucho, electric organ for Lord Loves a Working Man, and guitar for punk outfit, the Trifles.