“One of the finest klezmer fiddlers on the planet.” — NPR

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Jake Shulman-Ment is a leading voice in contemporary klezmer - a violinist and composer who bridges centuries of tradition with bold, boundary-pushing performance. He currently tours and records internationally as a soloist, and with Midwood, Daniel Kahn, Abigale Reisman, and many others. Known for his fierce improvisations, rich tone, and unflinching virtuosity, Jake’s performances move effortlessly from haunting laments to foot-stomping celebrations.

 

Jake has performed with artists such as Di Naye Kapelye, Joey Weisenberg, Frank London, and Duncan Sheik, appearing​ at venues and festivals around the world - Central Park Summer Stage, Skirball Center, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Rudolstadt, Budapest Palace of the Arts, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Teatro Manzoni, Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, and many more. He was featured in Csaba Bereczki's full-length documentary film Soul Exodus, and performed on screen in HBO's Succession and Martin Scorcese's The Irishman. He collected, studied, performed, and documented traditional music in Romania as a Fulbright scholar, and has lived and traveled in Hungary and Greece, learning traditional violin styles. In 2018 he received the prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Folk/Traditional Arts. Jake's debut solo album, A Redele (A Wheel) (Oriente Musik, 2012) was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award.

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He lives in Brooklyn, NY where he collaborates in projects bridging genres and cultures. Jake's work moves fluidly between global traditions and local connections, showing that music can be both deeply rooted and endlessly expansive.