As I enter the Ropeadope Lounge, Jamaaladeen Tacuma glides into the room to greet me, dressed in a crimson jacket and bright yellow pants accented by sky-blue glasses. Her colorful outfit is nothing out of the ordinary for Tacuma, who is almost as well known for his flashy fashion sense as he is for his edgy, virtuoso bass playing. For once, the rest of him is as lively as her wardrobe: we’ll gather in a virtual reality space housing a multitude of avatars this weekend for a performance by Tacuma’s Strings & Things trio.

The unusual concert, which will take place in front of a live audience at the Painted Bride’s new West Philadelphia home, is the highlight of this year’s Outsiders Festival of Creative and Improvised Music, which Tacuma has organized from…