John Morrison’s Philly Top 5: Jazz & Pop Past & Future

It’s early 2026 and Philly’s music scene is already on fire with activity. From viral dance challenges and resurrected rap classics to jazz of all flavors, there have been no shortage of great musical moments happening in the city. Hopefully, that’ll set the tone for another great year in local music. Here are 5 of my personal favorite musical moments from the last month.

Temple University Jazz Band Wins the 2026 National Collegiate Jazz Championship

On January 17th and 18th, Jazz at Lincoln Center held the 2026 National Collegiate Jazz Championship, an invitational competition dedicated to finding the best college jazz musicians and ensembles in the country. Temple University’s Jazz Band took first place for best big band, beating 10 elite jazz programs from across the country, including Eastman, Ohio State, Northwestern, and UT Austin. Led by trumpeter/band director Terell Stafford, the band played a winning repertoire of compositions by Duke Ellington and Chick Corea. Congratulations to the Temple musicians and staff — I hope to see these musicians lend their considerable talents to the enrichment of our city’s jazz scene soon.

LEO: Keeping The Music Alive

Speaking of Philly’s rich jazz scene, film director Adam Reim’s LEO: Keeping The Music Alive, is a vital document of one of Philly jazz’s most integral figures: promoter Leo Gadson. On January 16th, Scribe Video Center in West Philly hosted a screening with Reim and Gadson. I had the honor of hosting the screening for a packed and enthusiastic crowd. Reim’s gorgeous black and white film follows Gadson as he prepares for his annual Capricorn Rising concert while giving wonderful insight into his fifty-plus years of promoting concerts in Philadelphia.

Ematic Dance Challenge/Todd 1: “Give Em Something Radical” 

Late Philly rapper and MTV personality Todd-1’s 1990 cut “Give Em’ Something Radical” has recently enjoyed an unlikely resurgence on Instagram and TikTok. The song owes its newfound popularity to the viral “Ematic dance” that’s been taking over social media for months. Invented by Ephraim “Ematic” Reavis in 1988, North Philly dancers have been doing the Ematic for a long time, but this viral moment has spread the dance far beyond the city’s limits. With celebrities and everyday natives alike posting videos of themselves doing the Ematic, this dance challenge is a fun, unifying moment for Philly hip-hop culture. 

Market East’s “Meditations on Mother Earth”

“Meditations on Mother Earth” is the latest release from Philly soul trio Market East. Taken from their forthcoming album French Street, the song was co-produced by the team at Eraserhood Sound, Philly’s finest purveyors of modern psychedelic soul. With its breezy flute melody and groovy midtempo rhythm section, “Meditations on Mother Earth” is pure sonic ear candy. Add in the group’s rich vocal harmonies, and “Meditations on Mother Earth” sounds like a lost psych-pop gem from the summer of 1967. With French Street arriving in early April, Market East and Eraserhood seem poised to rule the warmer months with pure audio goodness.