About MJ Project

MJ Project performs an instrumental, intelligent and funky mix of rock, progressive jazz, danceable grooves and spacy but melodic sounds. The Philadelphia-based band's mix of talent, telepathic tightness and fearless appreciation of improv adds up to a rock-solid groove and impeccable sound that works on many levels.

After almost 10 years of practicing and tightening their sound, the members of MJ Project
- Ajinkya Joglekar (drums), Benjamin Karp (guitar), Ian McGuire (keyboards) and Paul Weinstein (bass) - have recently started a vicious attack on the scene, drawing scores of eager fans at venues across Philadelphia. The band has performed at many established venues, including Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts, several sold-out shows at the World Cafe Live and packed gigs at Chris’s Jazz Café and the North Star Bar, which have drawn more than 150 fans every time. The MJ Project has also appeared at Tritone, Doc Watson’s, Mill Creek Tavern, Grape St. Pub and more, not to mention regional venues such as New York’s Knitting Factory and Piano’s, Pittsburgh’s Mr. Small’s Theatre and Club Cafe, Baltimore's 8x10 Club, and Nectar's in Burlington, Vermont, to name a few.

“Basically, MJ Project is jazz for cool kids; catchy enough to appeal to the masses and smart enough to impress the music snobs. Catch them in Philly when you can, these kids are busy.” - John Davidson, digphilly.com (May 31, 2007).

Although members of the MJ Project have been playing together since the seventh grade, the group spent most of its high school years practicing, listening to jam masters such as Phish and Medeski Martin and Wood, and performing in the Philadelphia area.  As a result of their constant desire to find new influences and ability to play together without any pressure, the members of MJ Project grew together at their own comfortable but rapid pace before they even started college.  The group now communicates so well that its music often sounds far advanced for such young musicians.

"Every now and then you come across a band just oozing with talent.  They make it seem easy. This 4-piece experimental, improvisational, jazz, funk band is good… real good.  These young kids have their hand on the pulse." - Ardmore’s Rusty Nail

MJ recently completed its second, self-titled album. Recorded in Wyncote, PA at Kawari Studios, the disc is a borderless fusion of musical styles, including mind-blowing time signatures, catchy space-pop, straight-ahead funk and beautiful compositional skill and intensity.

MJ Project has earned coveted spots sharing the stage with numerous well known artists, including The Benevento Russo Duo, Lake Trout, members of Lotus and Brothers Past (who have actually sat in with the group), The Brakes, Pnuma Trio, Future Rock, The Bridge, Grimace Federation, Orchard Lounge, Indobox, Codename, and many more. The band was selected out of more than 300 submitting acts to perform at the 2008 All Good Music Festival in Masontown, West Virginia.

In addition, MJ Project has performed at several festivals, including a slot at the 2006 Dancing Wu Li Festival, which included acts such as Blues Traveler, The Breakfast, and Keller Williams. The group also won a spot at WXPN's All About the Music Festival in 2006, a bill that also included Lotus, Amos Lee, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, The Fractals and The Brakes. Members of the MJ Project have also been involved in projects featuring Kanye West, The Yellowjackets, Pnuma Trio, RAQ and more.