G Calvin Weston & Jim Kost - Stone Church (2021)

Fired up by the greats as a young man - The Jackson Five, James Brown, Stevie Wonder - appearing at the legendary Uptown Theater in North Philadelphia, Grant Calvin Weston took up the drums in earnest. At 17 he was called to join Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time Band, touring extensively and appearing on four recordings. His main gig from there was with James ‘Blood’ Ulmer, and then on to The Lounge Lizards. The thread is greatness, and G. Calvin Weston is woven into the fabric. No stranger to the halls of Ropeadope, Calvin has been in the mix with John Medeski, Billy Martin, Vernon Reid, and many more.

Enter Philly pianist Jim Kost: he studied at Berklee with classmates and musical jam partners Wallace Roney, Greg Osby, Donald Harrison, Jeff Watts and more, all of which he counts as teachers and mentors. As a freelance musician Jim spent time with The Steve Kimock Band, as well as Afrobeat sensation Kaleta,

Two musicians who have the chops and know the circuit. Together in the studio they have cooked up Stone Church, seeking a platform for their shared love of collective improvisation, electric instrumentation and cinematic soundscapes. Weston laid down the drum tracks and Kost built the keys around them, purposefully bringing in more space and color rather than focusing on virtuosity. Stone Church leaves room for the listener to dream, to build your own stories, dreams, and scenes while listening.