Detroit-born, Hamburg-based singer, musician and actor Daniel Kahn blends Yiddish, English, and German with klezmer, punk, and folk. He has lead or co-created music projects like The Painted Bird, The Unternationale, The Brothers Nazaroff, and Semer Ensemble, while also appearing on stage in such productions as Fidler afn Dakh, Toyt fun a Seylsman, and Unorthodox. A longtime favourite of Toronto audiences, he was the inaugural recipient of Ashkenaz’s Theodore Bikel Artist-in-Residence in 2016. As a singer and songwriter Kahn is known for topical, satirical and socially conscious work rooted deeply in the Yiddish tradition, but also channeling the spirit of iconic bards like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Woody Guthrie. For Summer Jam ’26 Kahn will perform some of his Yiddish translations of those artists’ songs, along with selections from his new trio album “UMRU / unrest,” joined by New York’s master violinist Jake Shulman-Ment & Berlin’s legendary multi-instrumentalist Christian Dawid on sax, clarinet and percussion. 

Guitarist, vocalist, bandleader, producer and songwriter Paul James has been a fixture of Canada’s blues, RnB and folk music scene for decades. He has been honoured with a Juno Award, multiple Toronto Music Awards, and the Maple Blues Lifetime Achievement Award. His resume includes performances with Bo Diddley, Mink DeVille, John Hammond, Dr. John, Spencer Davis, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jeff Healey, and most notably, Bob Dylan, who famously sat in with James’s own band at a Toronto club and later invited James to open for him and join him on stage during several tours. For many years since, James has channeled his connection with Dylan’s music into a loving concert set that faithfully recreates gems from his vast catalog. 

New Morning is a Toronto-based semi-acoustic 4-piece band of veteran musicians exploring and reinterpreting the Bob Dylan song book.