The Tower of Power groove!

This past Friday I was privileged to witness for the 5th time the greatness of the Tower of Power band! Formed in Oakland, California in 1968, they continue to this day to play their own style of Urban Soul and Funk.  Their 5 piece horn section has played with an amazing array of artists such as Aerosmith, Elton John, Little Feat, Phish, Santana, Heart, and many others.  Just an incredibly tight and killer horn section!


This band has class and power!  I could go on and on about the amazing lead vocals of Larry Bragg, the dynamic and monstrous keybords of Roger Smith, the outstanding and funky guitar work of Jerry Cortez, but I need to tell you about drummer David Garibaldi and bass player Rocco Prestia!


Those pro players in the know will agree with me that David and Rocco are innovators, amazing technicians, and extremely talented musicians;  they always appear on the "best of" lists of music magazines.


I have always been entertained and blown away by this band - I have always tried to see them when they come to town.  This past Friday however, was a little different!  Sitting in the balcony, I was able to see much more interaction within the band - the smiles, the eye contact with each other, the perfect joy of playing like a true unit, not as 10 individuals but ONE driving force!  Such a beautiful thing!  And then they played a medley of James Brown tunes...


Now, even though I am a percussionist and I do love rhythm, it's almost always the melody and harmony of a song that touches me deeply.  There are a number of songs in my lifetime that bring tears to my eyes because of how they make me feel...


When the band played the James Brown tunes, tears came to my eyes!  I was witnessing and hearing a groove so perfect, so powerful, that it was almost too much for me to take!  Something about Tower of Power's love of their hero James Brown pushed them to new funky heights!  I will never forget that!


Quote from David: "One of the great things for me about Tower of Power is that we share a common approach to making music. We’ve always had players who understand what it means to be a team. It’s a very “old school” philosophy. We're the sum of our parts -- that’s our strength. We take the stage as ten individuals, but there comes a time in the set when everyone locks into the moment, we’re all in the same place and we become…one person, one entity."

Quote from Rocco: "The reality is, we are who we are. If we change the way we play, if we change our approach to the music, it won’t be us. A lot of that has to do with the way David (Garibaldi) plays, and the horn section plays, and the way I play, of course. Whether I’m ghosting, muting, going for that 16th note – our individual styles are so distinct. I love those moments on stage when we get into that “zone.” Your hands are right, you’re alone, the time is yours. That’s still the biggest nut for me, and when those times happen it’s always special. That’s the beauty of being in this band -- we’re a group, and yet we’re individuals."


Two great lessons for us all from two of the greats!


If you ever get a chance, please see this band!  You will not regret it!  Please go to www.towerofpower.com for more info!