Raya Brass Band, West Philadelphia Orchestra

Since 2008 Raya Brass Band has thrilled audiences with its energetic brand of soul shaking, border defying dance music. Given the way these five musicians electrify clubs, festivals, underground parties, and even subway cars with their riotous performances, it’s no wonder that they’re often mistaken for a band twice the size. The members of the band all bring their unique voices to the group, creating a sound informed as much by their love for the fierce and seductive music of the Balkans as it is by New Orleans brass bands, punk rock, out jazz, and a host of other international sounds. When they put it all together, this hard working band gets straight to the point, dancing, sweating, and shouting alongside its audience.

“This Brooklyn collective gleefully upends traditional wedding music of the Balkans and Greece, undercutting regional reeds and brass with decidedly American funk pulse.”—New York Times

“Watch as five people conjure a massive party around them. Then see if you can resist the temptation to get up and start dancing. It’s pretty unlikely.”—Pop Matters

“The wild … stylings of this band invoked such a frenzy that several people questioned their own existence after their own souls leapt from their body and danced right out in front of them.”—What Weekly, Baltimore

“A wild ride of genre blending that doesn’t call it a night just because the sun is coming up.”-Midwest Record

“Unhinged energy and dizzying skill.”—New York Daily News


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 house 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.