Jamaaladeen Tacuma goes outside the box with The Outsiders Festival - Metro Philadelphia

For its archetypal unrecorded outing since the pandemic, Philadelphia bassist, composer, entrepreneur and fest laminitis Jamaaladeen Tacuma has deconstructed his Outsiders Improvised & Creative Music Festival to beryllium a aggregate venue lawsuit with elements of virtual world successful the mix.

The festival volition footwear disconnected with 2 unrecorded parties, Nov. 11 and 12, astatine South Jazz Parlor, with section legends Odean Pope and G. Calvin Weston arsenic portion of the celebration, past moves to the caller Painted Bride (5212 Market Street) connected Nov. 19 with a Metaverse exploration — an in-person lawsuit livestreamed into virtual world — and ends connected Dec. 2 astatine the Community Educations Center with Philly poets Ursula Rucker, Pheralyn Dove and more.

If you don’t cognize already, Tacuma — the jazz-funk bassist and manner decorator who was precocious talented the City of Philadelphia’s Benny Golson Award — volition play arsenic portion of each of his fest event’s philharmonic ensembles, meaning determination volition beryllium a full batch of Jamaaladeen to spell around. And that isn’t counting the VR Tacuma, represented by an avatar arsenic portion of Ropeadope Lounge Metaverse.

“All of the experiences of my beingness made maine who I americium today,” Tacuma said. “I’m capable to cognize astir each things creative, beauteous and upgrading successful quality excellence. Because I was capable to navigate each of these assorted worlds, I got to cognize each of its people. I deliberation [that resonates with] the [musicians] I person had for past festivals, and those coming done Philly, starting this weekend.”

Provided by Ropeadope Lounge

In discussing the curation of the Outsiders Festival, Tacuma tells Metro that the fest has been partnering with assorted venues astir the metropolis to summation its interaction and assemblage base.

“Jamaal selects the divers array of venues to springiness the assemblage a wide array of experiences,” says Rahima Tacuma, Jamaladeen’s woman and pivotal collaborator. “Jamaaladeen’s philharmonic connection is eclectic and each of the venues offers the assemblage a antithetic benignant of listening experience.

“South was chosen arsenic it represents the accepted supper nine vibe with its fantastic good eating acquisition on with its satellite people music,” she continues. “The Painted Bride’s caller abstraction gets back-to-basics and gives the vicinity a vibrant originative abstraction to prosecute with creation and music… and the CEC was the location of the archetypal Outsiders performance successful 2015, which was much of a marathon, lasting from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., and the CEC is an humanities African American tally venue for music, dance, poetry, and ocular arts — an intimate listening experience, with the gathering itself giving disconnected large originative energy.”

While Outsider’s November and December events connection euphony and inspiration with John Coltrane astatine South and writer Jayne Cortez astatine the CEC, the Painted Bride matter is thrilling successful some philharmonic and ocular ways. This unsocial presumption merges the satellite of unrecorded euphony with virtual reality. Attendees astir the satellite tin acquisition a afloat unrecorded show and movie screening broadcasted into VR for avatars to watch, and the VR satellite volition beryllium beamed backmost to the Clef Club connected South Broad Street connected their movie screen. Following the performance, determination volition beryllium an after-party successful VR, wherever fans tin chat with the musicians and each other.

Bored by Zoom meetings and unrecorded Zoom events astir the clip that New Jersey’s Ropeadope statement released Tacuma’s caller workplace album, some statement and creator decided to embark connected a virtual venture.

“Jamaaladeen has been moving to grow the planetary euphony community, touring the satellite portion bringing Philly’s groove with him arsenic a “music ambassador,” of sorts,” says Rahima. “The metaverse gives him 1 much spot to scope an assemblage that is guardant thinking. They indispensable beryllium guardant thinking, conscionable by the information they are experimenting with VR. It is wide they privation to acquisition things successful caller ways.”

For much information, sojourn jamaaladeenmusic.com