Marcus Cohen founded this project in the bay area summer of 2009 when he met guitarist Vic Wong, drummer Jayme Arredondo, and bassist Mark Allen-Piccolo. They began to lay the foundation for what is now known as The Congress - an eclectic, mesmerizing, ensemble of musicians, vocalists, and an emcee. The idea was inspired from Marcus' love of soul, jazz, funk, gospel, and hip hop.

"The vision is about creating original compositions with
"organic" sound. Music containing meaningful lyrics and played by real musicians. We create in the spirit of artists such as Marvin Gaye, Billie Holliday, Al Green, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder to name a few."