Film composer and guitarist Daniel Raijman got his start playing music across Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he grew up. His expertise in composition and arrangement for film has made him a mainstay in the industry, but it’s his lifelong fascination with the study and performance of string instruments, which has led him to his rewarding career in the field.

Raijman toured with his first group, Orquesta Kef, for four years between 2006 and 2009. The band puts a modern twist on the traditional eastern European Klezmer style, a genre with long ties to Jewish culture in the region. As a guitarist for Orquesta Kef, Raijman toured venues throughout Argentina and Uruguay.

The band combines the classic sounds of Klezmer music with contemporary Latin American influences.

According to the band’s website, “It all began at the end of the year 2000, near Chanukah, when a group of young musicians wanted to express and share their talents with the community. Shortly after the premiere, Kef found its own unique musical style. Kef is the number one Klezmer Band in Argentina and one of the biggest in Latin America.”

Beginning in 2007 Raijman also toured with Quinta Estacion (Fifth Season), a group that he founded alongside award-winning pianist and composer Sebastian Kauderer. A contemporary jazz quartet, Quinta Estacion was a hit at venues in Argentina and took an inspired approach in its performance of modern jazz and funk.

“We wanted to achieve that sound similar to our influences such as Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. The challenge was to write complex harmonies and fit them into beautiful melodies,” Raijman said. “We played in some of the best jazz clubs in Buenos Aires and recorded our album in 2008.”

Heavily influenced by his years playing with Quinta Estacion, Raijman’s next band, Pentafono, was a jazz quintet, which drew an eclectic sound from its Latin American and jazz roots.

“I composed most of the songs based on odd meters and rhythms from Latin America and I wrote challenging harmonies and melodies that were fun to play,” Raijman said. “I wrote some of the songs while I was studying jazz composition with New York-based composer Guillermo Klein.”

Pentafono regularly played and toured around Buenos Aires, and in 2012 recorded their self-titled debut album.

Most recently, Raijman played guitar for the soundtrack for Triggerfish. The film, which is set for release later year, follows the fictional, eponymous punk band Triggerfish as they embark on a night of debauchery and unhinged excitement.

“I was working for Megan Cavallari when she scored this film. She asked me to record guitars for this film and I totally enjoyed it,” Raijman said. “I had to record music ranging from punk to hard rock to blues – all kind of different styles.”

With such a diverse background of influences, and years on the road and in the studio, Raijman’s seasoned expertise has made him a go-to guitarist and composer in a highly competitive field. In addition to Triggerfish, Raijman has lent his extraordinary talents as a composer to the scores of the films An Opening to Closure, Monster Hunters USA and Day Care Center, Love, the documentary 8 Seconds: Humane Decision Making of the IDF and many more. Raijman is also slated to play guitars on the upcoming film Jay Rocco.