Tower of Power

Tower of Power

through February 24th, 2013 9:30pm

Location

Dimitriou's Jazz Alley

The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley present the East Bay soul band Tower of Power for four nights with eight shows, February 21st-24th. Band members include Emilio Castillo (tenor saxophone, vocals), Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka (baritone saxophone), Rocco Prestia (bass), Adolfo Acosta (trumpet), Mic Gillette (trumpet and trombone), Tom Politzer (saxophone), David Garibaldi (drums), Roger Smith (keyboards), Mike Harper (guitar), and Larry Brags (vocals). Set times Thursday - Sunday at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Doors at 5:30pm.

Tickets may be purchased by phoning Jazz Alley at 206-441-9729 or contacting TicketMaster at 206-628-0888. Visit JazzAlley.com for more details.

For over 40 years, Tower of Power has been creating their own kind of soul music. Since 1968, Tower of Power has delivered their unique brand of music to their fans, appearing before sold out crowds as they tour the world each year. Tower’s sound can be hard to categorize, but the band's leader and founding member, Emilio Castillo, has labeled their sound as "Urban Soul Music."

Tower's rhythm section lays down a groove like no other band. The band’s horn driven sound is unique, and the way they approach everything, from writing and arranging to mixing and performing, is totally their own. Combine all of that with an outstanding lead vocalist and you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians to ever hit the stage.

Well known in the ‘70s for tunes such as “What is Hip?” and “You’re Still a Young Man”, Tower of Power toured with Sly Stone and Credence Clearwater Revival, creating traffic jams when they started to headline their own shows. They performed on records with Neil Diamond, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, and Dionne Warwick, and influenced a generation of musicians (including Sting, who has told Emilio Castillo, founder of the group, that he once had a “Tower of Power clone band” before he formed The Police). In the 1980s, they backed Huey Lewis and the News for his world tours. They continued to play their own music in between Lewis’ gigs.

Tower of Power is experiencing a renaissance, touring most of every year and packing venues in the United States, the Pacific Rim, and all over Europe with its audience of new and old fans. On June 6, 2004 The California Music Association inducted Tower of Power with a Lifetime Achievement Award and cited their 2003 Sony Legacy anthology Havin’ Fun as soul/R&B album of the year, beating out releases by En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq.

When asked to describe the band’s music, the group members give a variety of responses. Says Emilio, “What Tower plays is soul music.” Former Tower saxophonist Lenny Pickett, now musical director for the Saturday Night Live band says, “TOP is the world’s best rhythm and blues band.” In reality, TOP’s horn-driven, in-your-face sound is all its own.

Read more about Tower of Power at www.towerofpower.com.