Young Philadelphians where deco meets disco meets decon Jamaladeen Tacuma, G. Calvin Weston, Bern Nix, Anthony Coleman, Marc Ribot: 5 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 men 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, adding guitarist Bern Nix also of Prime Time and keyboardist Anthony Coleman to do the job. And the name? "Ever see that movie with Paul Newman?" Ribot asks. "It's about these rich young lawyers from Philly. We had a good laugh about that. You should hear our version of 'Fly Robin Fly.'"  
 

FROM CITY PAPER 2004

Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians jazz Before he strays to June's Bonnaroo with his Latin ensemble Los Cubanos Postizos, guitarist Marc Ribot will stay closer to home -- playing with old friend and jam-mate Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Young Philadelphians. Ribot's a Jersey boy, born in Newark and raised in countless garage acts up there before moving to Manhattan in the late '70s where he backed other sons of Philly (Solomon Burke, Jack McDuff) during their gigs. That was before Ribot became the fretboard's icon of skronk, the scuffed and scratched guitar sound that's equal doses Robert Quine-like blasts of atonality, the no-wave jerkiness of Contortions' Pat Place and Jody Harris and the funky hump of blues-and-country-style picking indigenous to Southern juke joints. That's skronk. And that's what Ribot mastered while playing with John Zorn, Don Byron, Elvis Costello, the Lounge Lizards and, most famously, Tom Waits on that trilogy of tone-terror, Frank's Wild Years, Rain Dogs and Big Time. Ribot brought that same skittering six-string madness to his own funk-filled ensembles Shrek, Cubanos and Rootless Cosmopolitans for a brand of roughshod soul and crispy-fried jazz licks that surely will come into play while jamming with algebraic bassist Tacuma and skin-slamming drummer Calvin Weston. Prepare to be amazed. —A.D. Amorosi

Beacon Pass Review
Why Go?

Legendary guitarist Marc Ribot explores his funkier side, joined by an all-star cast and an intriguing mission statement: to blend “the mind-blowing harmolodic punk-funk of Ornette Coleman's first Prime Time Band and the sweet, optimistic pulse of 1970s Philly Soul.” For those unacquainted with Ribot, his résumé includes being the go-to guitarist for Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Madeline Peyroux. He's one of the most innovative and important players on the NYC downtown scene. Young Philadelphians features three veterans of the Prime Time Band — including original member Jamaaladeen Tacuma, whose fierce improvisations on the electric bass simply have to be seen to be believed. Part of Ribot's January residency at Le Poison Rouge (with a different lineup every time), this night is not to be missed. — Sean Hutchinson