Backgrounder

Philly’s Melting Pot Of Music: All Brands, All Shapes, All Textures

PHILADELPHIA, May 4, 2007 - What is the Philadelphia Sound? That’s a tough question. The City of Brotherly Love has long been renowned for its satiny smooth tone in regard to the city’s classical scene and soul sounds. Under conductor Eugene Ormandy, the Philadelphia Orchestra became legendary for its velvety strings and plush brass. When it comes to R&B, from the silken groove of Sound of Philadelphia legends like Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes to the blue-eyed soul of Hall & Oates—smooth is this city’s middle name. But Philadelphia has always been a genuine melting pot of the very best music: all brands, all shapes, all textures. And this has never been truer than it is at present as hip hop crews, DJ collectives, jazz maestros and indie punks of all stripes converge and merge from every corner of town with magazines from the Web-only Pitchfork to the elder statesman-like Rolling Stone taking notice. What is the Philadelphia Sound? It’s jazz. It’s hip hop. It’s neo-soul. It’s indie rock. It’s folk. It’s cabaret. It’s here. It’s now.

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

 

DJs:
Once upon a time, the Philly DJ meant “disc jockey” and fast rapping, smart thinking platter-players like Jerry Blavat and the late Doug “Jocko” Henderson. While Blavat’s still going strong, the role of the Philly DJ has changed to include music makers such as DJ Jazzy Jeff—Will Smith’s foil during the dawn of hip hop. Now, the likes of King Britt (electronic-based soul), Wesley “Diplo” Pentz (sample-heavy funk with Brazilian beats), Dieselboy (techno) and the men of Pink Skull (mash ups) have come through the club-playing ranks to make records that changed how people dance.

Jazz:
The legacy of local jazz can be traced to John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, Sun Ra and Jimmy Smith. You can pitch it forward to include pianist Uri Caine, saxophonist Elliot Levin, bassist Jamaladeen Tacuma and trumpeter John Swanna. But like all brands of daring music, jazz now goes back into its traditions while stretching farther out. The result is guitarists like Skip Heller and soul-tinged keyboardists like Anam Owili-Eger, progressive traditionalist bands like Shot X Shot and Drake and vocalists as richly diverse as Ruth Naomi Floyd and Lady Alma.

Hip Hop:
Philadelphia hip hop may start with original gangsta Schoolly D and wind its way through MCs as diverse as Will Smith, Eve, Three Times Dope, Beanie Sigel, Bahamadia, Steady B and poetess Ursula Rucker throughout its maturation. Of course, there are The Roots, Philly’s live-playing hip hop answer to the Grateful Dead. But the present and future of Philly hip hop lies as much with its producer/music makers (RJD2, Mr. Lif), DJ/rapper combos (Spank Rock), mainstream MCs (Cassidy) and its live-action cartoon mix of all of the above (Plastic Little, Yah Mos Def).

Neo-Soul:
Philadelphia International Records gave birth to all Philly soul. After that Jill Scott, Jaguar Wright, Bilal, Kindred, Musiq Soulchild, Jazzyfatnastees—all born from the Black Lily scene—spawned the “neo soul” movement, a music revolution characterized by a mix of genres, overlapping soul, jazz, pop and hip-hop influences. While these artists still record successfully, newer Philadelphians are in on the funky fray. And although John Legend pursues the brand with dramatic and successful results, look toward the jovial joyous Taragirl, the acid jazzy Jeff Bradshaw’s Brass Heaven, beat-boxy singer Kevin Michael, sweetly musical Steph Pockets and the romantic J. Hill in the future.

Cabaret/Neo-Cabaret:
If the late Laurie Beecham was queen of Philadelphia theater song, both the scene and its sounds have expanded since her reign. While Andrea McArdle (of Annie fame), Jeanette Bressler and Lou Lanza are notable nationally and locally, the city’s neo-cabaret scene is truly thriving. Tied into the avant-garde performance art featured throughout the annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe, Big Mess Orchestra and Theater, Pig Iron Theatre (whose leader “Martha Graham Cracker” is most prominent) and individual performers Needles Jones, Jimi Mooney, Lot Six, Kurt Vile and even the gothic-tinged David E. Williams deliver original song to the delight of inspired audiences.

Indie/Alternative Rock:
The holy hardcore of Ruin and Throttle, the industrial bustle of Crash Course in Science and Bunnydrums, the noise and clatter of Pure Hell (one of punk’s first African American acts) Executive Slacks, McRad, Stickmen and The Vels featured prominently throughout the first waves of Philly’s alterna-rock scene. Currently that scene is responsible for all levels of sound from all ages and races. There are psychedelic statesmen such as Brother JT, A-Sides, Bardo Pond and Hail Social; bristling power-pop acts like Bitter Bitter Weeks, Capitol Years, Cobbs and Persona; boldly diverse African-American bands such as PhilMooreBrown, Baptist Preachers and Nouveau Riche; and electronic pop-rockers like The Model, Wayward Wind and Kezner.

World/Reggae:
Back in the day—in local world music/reggae circles—bands like Philly Gumbo and House of Assembly were so huge and so inspirational that then-novice acts like The Hooters would beg to be on their bills. Currently, the reggae and world scenes in Philly are thriving due to the Worship label with its Solomonic Sound DJ crews starring Hollis P. Monroe, Rob Paine and friends like rapping/singing pals from El Feco B and Summer Angel. But there’re also more bands than ever laying down good world and reggae vibes such as Jaffna, Timi & the Dub Warriors and the youngish Wareika Hill. Better still, bands like Bebek and Akash trade on the traditionalism of word music by offering blends of jazz, metal and goth rock in their grooves.

Folk/Singer-Songwriter:
Jim Croce was a folkie Philadelphia singer/songwriter. So were Essra Mohawk and Tom Glazer. Before they became soundtrack makers and studio owners, respectively, Michael Bacon and Larry Gold had a folk band, Good News, whose Columbia label album fetches a nice penny on eBay. Even Hall & Oates started out folkie in the Philly coffeehouses. And while Kenn Kweder is the spiritual son to that lot, Kweder’s also a godfather-once-removed to the current crop of singer/songwriters like John Francis, Birdie Busch, Joshua Heard, Devin Greenwood, Lauren Hart, Mike “Slo Mo” Brenner, Ramona Cordova and even those young musicians who make up Acoustic Philly.

uwishunu™, created by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and funded by the City of Philadelphia, reveals the unconventional side of Philadelphia by providing an insider’s look at the city’s dining, drinking, nightlife, active pursuits and culture as shared by Philly-wise locals. If you wish you knew how to visit Philly like a local, go to uwishunu.com. 

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Caroline Bean, GPTMC
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com

Related RSS Feeds

Topic	XML Feeds
What's New This feed will be updated whenever any new content is added to Gophila.com’s Press Room. It includes all topics.
Events Special exhibitions, shows, festivals, annual events and ongoing happenings