www.mariahwilkins.com

Klein 
left
 Argentina 
to 
attend
 Berklee 
College 
of 
Music
 after
 hearing
 a
 moving 
speech
 by 
the 
former
 dean 
Gary
 Burton 
about
 his 
relationship 
working 
with 
Piazzolla.
 Klein 
intended 
to 
study
 classical 
music
 on
 his 
arrival
 but
 found
 himself
among 
peers 
that 
were
 passionate 
about 
jazz.


The
 music 
of 
Wayne
 Shorter 
provided 
the 
bridge 
from 
classical 
to 
jazz
 studies. 
Being
a 
fan 
of 
unique
 harmonic 
expression, 
Klein 
was
 easily 
drawn
 to 
the 
work 
of
 this
master 
composer 
who
 is 
deemed
 to
 be 
one 
of 
the 
most 
intriguing 
harmonic 
architects 
in
 jazz. 
Klein 
was 
also 
able 
to 
develop 
a 
talented
 network
 of 
musical
friends,
 many 
of 
which 
came
 to 
Berklee 
from 
South
 America. 
This 
group 
of
 colleagues 
provided 
the 
frame work
 for 
what 
would
 eventually 
become 
Klein's 
main
musical
 voice, 
the
 Big 
Van
large
 ensemble 
that 
would 
later 
become 
Los 
Guachos.


After
 graduating 
from
 Berklee, 
Klein 
moved
 to 
New 
York 
City 
like 
many 
of 
his 
fellow
graduates.
 He
 settled
 into 
Greenwich 
Village 
and 
quickly 
became
 associated 
with 
a
jazz
club
 called 
Smalls 
where 
he
 established 
a 
weekly 
engagement 
with 
his 
17?piece
Big
 Van
 band
 that 
incorporated 
musicians 
living
in
 New
 York
 as 
well 
as 
commuters
from
 Boston. 
Smalls 
was
 critical 
in
fostering 
a 
community 
of 
young
 artists
 that 
would
ultimately
 be 
some 
of
 the
 most
 influential 
voices 
of 
modern 
jazz.


Klein 
later 
scaled
 the 
band 
down 
to 
a 
more 
streamlined 
11 
piece 
unit 
that 
began 
to 
be 
known
 as 
Los
 Guachos 
(roughly 
translated, 
the 
bastards).
The 
band
 continued
 to
develop 
with 
the 
help 
of 
residences
 at 
Smalls 
and,
 later, 
the 
Jazz
 Standard. 
After
recording
 an
 album 
that 
was 
ultimately 
shelved, 
Klein 
was
 able 
to 
find 
a 
home
 with
Sunnyside
 Records.
 The
 label 
released 
two 
CDs 
by 
Los 
Guachos, 
Los 
Guachos
 II
 (1999)
 and 
Los 
Guachos 
III
 (2002).


Even
 with 
media 
attention 
and 
devoted 
fans, 
Klein 
found
 it 
increasingly
 difficult 
to
make
 a 
living 
as 
a
 working 
musician 
in 
the 
States.
 He
 moved
 back 
to 
Argentina 
in 
the
early 
fall 
of 
2000 
with 
his 
wife.
 While 
in 
Argentina, 
Klein 
was
 able 
to 
make 
another 
recording 
a long side 
loca l
musicians, 
Una 
Nave
 (2005). 
He 
stayed 
in
Argentina 
for 
two
 years 
before 
moving 
to 
Barcelona, 
Spain.


Currently,
 Klein 
lives 
in 
Buenos 
Aires 

with 
his 
wife 
and
 children. 
Los 
Guachos' 
latest
recording, 
Filtros,
 was 
released 
2008
 on 
Sunnyside 
Records.