A Special Musical Performance by TR7 and Jamaaladeen Tacuma
January 15, 2026 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Free
A Special Musical Performance by TR7 and Jamaaladeen Tacuma | Thurs. Jan 15, 2026 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm ET | In-person
Join us for a special musical performance celebrating the current exhibition, A Usable Past: Reflections of a Nation and Its Inheritance, featuring artists Taji Ra’oof Nahl (TR7) and Jamaaladeen Tacuma. The performance will echo themes of cultural identities inherited through family or migration, the building of new legacies within a heterogeneous society, the fragility of democratic ideals, and the failures of systems that promise unity, liberty, and self-governance.
About the Artists
Taji Ra’oof Nahl (TR7) is a Philadelphia-based conceptual artist whose practice merges sculpture, sound, performance, and experimental cinema into a site-responsive method he calls Field Trips to Staged Productions. A 2024 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts, his work explores civic infrastructures, ecological intelligence, Islamic cosmology, and African American intellectual lineage. His ongoing Abstract Dynamics series—often realized as duo projects—extends this approach through live scoring, moving-image presentation, and spatial activation. TR7 is the founder of Ra’oof Atelier, Channel TR7, Adam Vocabulary Club, and The Other Sounds of Philadelphia.
Few musicians leave their audiences with a feeling that they have truly witnessed something amazing. Artist/Producer/Performer/Arranger/Innovator AND Bassist—JAMAALADEEN TACUMA does just that. This native Philadelphian has always stretched the old mold of what a bassist is supposed to play and how. Tacuma has redefined his instrument’s artistic potential. In the mid 70’s, his creatively free approach to the bass caught the eye and ear of the legendary saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Tacuma became a member of Coleman’s electric band, Prime Time, he toured with the group and played on some of Coleman’s historic recordings such as: “Dancing In Your Head”, “Body Meta”, and “Of Human Feelings”. As a soloist, Tacuma continued to push the musical envelope with his debut album, simply titled “Showstopper,” in 1983. Several records followed, some of which include: Renaissance Man (1984), Music World (1987) and JukeBox (1989), Cosmetic, Boss of The Bass, which confirmed his ability to flip between various musical genres. Even the critics have had high praise for Tacuma’s musicianship and artistry. One year he received the highest number of votes ever for an electric bassist in the “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” category of the DownBeat critics’ poll.
In recent years, Jamaaladeen has been gaining recognition from some of the United States most prestigious artist foundations. In 2011, Jamaaladeen received the Pew Arts & Heritage Award, the Marcus Garvey Foundation Award, and the Uptown Theater Hall of Fame Award in 2014. Jamaaladeen has received composer’s residencies at the prestigious MacDowell Colony, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Civitella Rainier Italy, where he composed a new project he will be presenting in 2015. He was honored in 2018 with Philadelphia’s Benny Golson Award and Liberty Bell Medal, in 2020 Jazz Journalist Association “Philadelphia Jazz Hero Award”, 2021 South Arts Creative Residency Grant, and Mid Atlantic Arts International award. In 2023, he was honored by Morocco with the Visa Music Award. Staying true to his artistic and experimental approach to music, Tacuma consistently brings fans worldwide musical peace and happiness.
This event is free to the public. The Museum for Art in Wood interprets, nurtures, and champions creative engagement and expansion of art, craft, and design in wood to enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of it. A suggested donation of $5 per person enables us to provide programs and exhibitions throughout the year.
Questions? Please contact Katie Sorenson, Director of Outreach and Communications, at [email protected].