Daniel Kahn and Jake Shulman-Ment

Concert by a German-American duo with a repertoire of original and adapted songs in Yiddish.

Daniel Kahn, a talented multi-instrumentalist hailing from Detroit, and New York violinist Jake Shulman-Ment have been sharing their musical journey for nearly two decades. Over the years, they have collaborated in various bands and projects, including The Painted Bird and The Brothers Nazaroff. However, they decided to venture into a new musical endeavor as a duo, resulting in the creation of their album "The Building & Other Songs." According to Kahn, this album represents his most personal and intimate collection of songs to date and working with Jake felt like recording with a beloved brother.

The album offers a remarkable variety of songs that span a wide spectrum. It includes bold reinterpretations of contemporary tracks such as the title track, “Der Binyen/The Building,” originally by Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman. Additionally, the album features Yiddish translations of songs by some of Kahn’s musical heroes, including Cohen, Brecht, Springsteen, Guthrie, and Waits.