The Young Philadelphians

"where deco meets disco meets decon"

Jamaaladeen Tacuma, G. Calvin Weston, Mary Halvorson, Marc Ribot:  4 professional, harmolodic noise improvisers with an uncommon love of Philly soul and hard groove. Forever young, forever Philadelphian, forever fixated on the moment before dance went digital. Stuck in the groove like a scratch in your favorite record. Ladies and Gentlemen…the hardest working musicians in punk/funk/soul/noise: The Young Philadelphians!!!   

The Young Philadelphians pays tribute to twin legacies: The mind-blowing harmolodic punk-funk of Ornette Coleman's first Prime Time band and the sweet, optimistic pulse of 1970s Philly Soul. Ribot enlists bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer G. Calvin Weston, both Prime Time alumni and Philadelphia natives, along with guitarist Mary Halvorson plus a newly added 3-piece string section** to do the job.

Set list includes classics such as The Hustle, Love Rollarcoaster, TSOP, Love Epidemic

**This project can be booked using local or conservatory level string section.

"With punk-funk juggernaut the Young Philadelphians, he starts a party, joined by fellow fret-master Mary Halvorson, bassist and Ornette Coleman collaborator Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer C. Calvin Weston. As it did on last year’s groove-heavy Live In Tokyo, the quartet blows the funky-assed lid off classic dancefloor burners with punk-funk takes on “Love Rollercoaster” and “The Hustle.” -TimeOutNY Preview of 10 Acts Not to Miss at Winter Jazz Fest 2017

"There are things you want at WJF, and then there are things you didn't know you wanted. Few but guitarist Marc Ribot would have the gusto to put a group together to recreate the soulful, sweeping funk of Gambel and Huff's Sound of Philadelphia. The groundwork was pure, unadulterated TSOP [The Sound of Philadelphia] - the cinematic strings, the funky propulsions by bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer Calvin Weston, the shouts of "gettin' down" - but the layers on top were more unique. The twin-guitar attack of Mary Halvorson's spiky excursions and Ribot's No Wave rock stylings kept everything just on edge enough to perk ears up. With this in mind, it gave standbys like the Ohio Player's "Love Rollercoaster" and even Van McCoy's "The Hustle" new life."  
- Dan Lehner, Feast of Music Review at Winter Jazz Fest 2015

"a postmodern soul revue" - Aiden Levy, JazzTimes