Nakshatra / Midwood Trio

Led by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment, Midwood is a contemporary psychedelic klezmer celebration of freedom and the Jewish tradition of wandering and migration. This new supergroup, featuring some of the most exciting young performers on the international world music stage, seamlessly traverses borders through original compositions, expansive improvisations on traditional melodies, and heart-wrenching re-imaginings of Yiddish folk songs. Their debut album on Chant Records, Out of the Narrows, draws from deep Eastern European Jewish roots to explore the power of love, movement, and wilderness to transform the human mind and heart.

Jake Shulman-Ment - violin, vocals

Yoshie Fruchter - guitar

Richie Barshay - drums

Husband and wife duo Trina Basu and Arun Ramamurthy reimagine the potential of string chamber music with a unique sound both deeply intimate and cinematically expansive. Deeply rooted in traditions of South Indian classical music, Western chamber music, jazz and folk styles, the duo creates a sound that feels ancient, orchestral, and contemporary or as The New Yorker put it, “free-flowing and globe-spanning.” Combined with the duo's fluency in improvisation, there is a clear architecture to their sound that still gives space for the two violins to be delightfully indiscernible and shine individually. On their transformative debut album Nakshatra (SPINSTER 2023), Trina and Arun reach both deep into their past and high into the celestial realm, culminating in a lush and spiritual collaboration that bridges traditions and defies genres.