Making the world
a better, happier, more
communal place (or trying to!)
Who are we?!
West Philadelphia Orchestra plays music
that is mostly
rooted in Eastern European folk music traditions, but we do it with our
own voices, Philadelphia voices nourished by our jazz heritage, tinged
with punk rock, soul, and cheesesteaks, and blended with the voices of
our community.
As a village band, we aim to uplift, inspire, and
unify the Philadelphia community by playing music that renders
boundaries obsolete and represents excellence.
We play concerts
on big stages, concerts in tiny corners; we play hoise parties and
block parties; benefits and protest rallies; weddings and any occasion
for celebration; and everywhere we play, feet stomp, hands clap, hips
sway, people grab hold of one another, lift their glasses, and
celebrate life, absurdity, and what is best in us.
Since its inception in Fall of 2006, when the group was just 7
neighborhood friends who basically met at a local bar, the group has
expanded to become a broad musical community. These days we have
up to 14 musicians currently playing with us, including trumpets, tenor
horns, sousaphone, sax, clarinet, violins, viola, drums, and 3
singers. In 2 years, not once has the band been exactly the same
combination of players on any 2 concerts. For parades and
acoustic outdoor events, our brass players come together; sometimes our
string players combine with the clarinet, recorder, and percussion to
form our 'chamber' version of the band. Many folks in the band
play several different instruments, making us a versatile and
unpredictable bunch. In the age of Fab Fours, we are just a
collection of people who come together to make good music.
The band has played many places, including Philadelphia's Kimmel
Center, Rosenbach Museum, Khyber, North Star Bar, Fiume, and we play
every 2nd Thursdays at Tritone Bar. We've also played NYC's
Goldenfest and Mehanata Bulgarian Bar, as well as clubs throughout the
Northeast. We've collaborated with other Philly bands, including
being the horn section for our fellow West Phillians Dr. Dog. In
2009, we are planning a collaborative concert with the Camerata
Philadelphia orchestra, and are seeking other collaborative projects in
the future.
What is this music we play exactly?
Well, the music of Eastern
Europe is fantastically varied and the history of the music is
complex. Each town and region has its specific music, which was
created over generations, but more importantly perhaps, as musicians
travelled and different communities came together, the songs and styles
were shared, borrowed, and so forth. The way in which languages
evolve and merge over time, influenced by trade, social conditions,
changing cultural practices, technology, geography, and so forth is
basically how all folk music evolved too. As members of WPO began
discovering great musicians such as the Kocani Orkestar, Elvis
Ajdinovic, Boban Markovic, Romica Puceanu, Gyurga Pindjurova, Besh o
Drom, and so forth, we began borrowing sounds and adapting them to 21st
century Philly. We also play our share of klezmer music, which
has been experiencing a growing revival around the world over the last
30 years with bands like Klezmatics, Shtreiml, and Klez Dispensers
(disclosure: our bandleader Gregg plays with the latter, and Shtreiml
sometimes too). Our original material is deeply inspired by and
indebted to the Eastern European traditions. We don't try to
compose music that would pass for 'authentic,' but allow our
imaginations to take hold. Our concept is akin to that of Charles
Mingus, who challenged each musician to find his/her own voice within
the whole. We stretch, experiment, and push ourselves to find
greater expression to the music.
In October 2008, we released our debut record, 'WPO' - pre-released
with hand-made covers in April. It features original material,
and some radically revisioned traditional songs. The album
features the vocals of Jack Ohly and Janos Perge, solos from Elliott
Levin and Katt Hernandez, and compositions from Gregg Mervine, Larry
Toft, and Brendan Cooney. See the 'media' section for sound clips.
Lastly, to answer a question we frequently receive, yes, we play
weddings and other celebrations.
Please send all inquiries for booking
to: westphiladelphiaorchestra@gmail.com.
Click
here to check out WPO's Press Kit
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