We first saw TOP in Cleveland Ohio at the Agora when they just released East Bay grease. No one knew that there were maybe 20 people in the audience. The next time they came back to Cleveland you couldn't get into the club. One of the greatest groups of all time and should be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They are real musicians and have "Soul with a capital S."
This one's for Rocco rest in peace Rocco on the one my man .your playing still lives on one of the funkiest bass players to come out the early 70s And onwards.
Lenny Pickett was all of 23 years old when this was filmed. The amazing thing is that he was mostly self-taught yet somehow developed the ability to play in the altissimo range better than most players with dozens of years more experience. The guy was a true saxophone master.
Yes,Lenny was mostly self-taught. When he joined the band he was 19. He had to use the side door to get into some gigs. Lenny is of course the SNL band leader after G.E. Smith who BTW is absolutely an amazing musician and in demand. Roger Waters has hired him for world tours for example. Lenny still teaches Saxophone and jazz studies at NYU. Professor of Saxophone.....,it's fitting.
'85 I saw TofP and Neville Brothers team up at the ROXY in NYC on some winter Wednesday night and place was packed , private seating on upper balcony (Ed Bradley and and daughters all their in MINKS) and us general admission on floor.........GREAT SHOW! MAGIC
I’m thinking the money musta been thin for 12 guys x $100.00 who paying $1200 for a short gig back then? Rocco Gillet and the Doc r Garabaldi,,only ones to make 40 years and they took breaks. Still amazing that drummer
Quietly standing in back of the group, not really seeking attention, was one of the greatest bass players in rock/funk history...the great Rocco Prestia (1951-9/29/2020.) When you listen to What is Hip?, there's really only one answer to that question...Rocco Prestia.
The Horns section of Tower of Power is, as far as I'm concerned, is the Greatest of any Era ,ever since a teenager in Fiji during the 70's i ain't never heard a Horn Section no way near consistently as good as them🌴🇫🇯😎👍
It was August 1977 at the Seattle Memorial Stadium. I got to see he ticket was $8 bucks I got to see Heart, Foreigner, Tower of Power, Stephen Bishop and Prism. Towere of Power stole the show........
Brass Construction, Earth,Wind and fire, etc. they all had great horn sections, but for pure brass, these guys are the best hands down. Sick horns man,sick! And still blowing 40 years later!
@@KeithHedger You're right, those arrangements are something special, and it takes a very special band to be able to pull off a live performance at that level. But when they do, it's simply magical!
I was a young woman in the early 1970s listening to their music, when I left home & joined the military. Danced to many ToP tunes in clubs going out w/friends. I didn't get to see them live the first time until 1995. Saw them a few years ago, as well. I love the diversity in the audience here. It was one of the things I loved about this band.
I came to ToP late in the game; like late 90s. I blame lack of radio exposure. Have loved them ever since. Saw them live a few times with AWB, unforgettable.
... I'm thinking the energy of Sly and the Family Stone drew everybody in its universal themes of rhythmic peace and love. Everyday People, for example.
In West Torrance High School, where my daughter played Alto Sax, volunteers including alumni, tutored the brass section including bass trombone and the concerts included the AWB "Brick House" and EWF horn arrangements. 😇💗✌
"What's hip today might become passé" ... Well, founder/leader Emilio Castillo is still out on the road 200 days a year with the band, and Lenny Pickett is now Dr. Pickett, professor of jazz saxophone at NYC and musical director of the SNL band. These guys and their music will NEVER become passé!
Never Passe .....still grooving it. Saw the latest version of Tower last Fri night at Stateline Tahoe. Still kicking it. Mike Bogart is back in the horn section. New lead singer Mike Jerel was on the Voice season 19. Great Show to kick off the new tour......Check them out and give them some love
One of my fave music moments was in front of the Keswick Theater outside Philly; a school bus pulled up and a busload of young music students got off - they were brought there by their teacher to see and experience Tower of Power. The guys have been amazing me for 50 years and over 40 live performances.
One of my favorite bands of all time. The stellar musicianship of each and every member of this band alone and in combination is just staggering. These guys were the best of the best.
I saw these guys last December ... 43 years after this was recorded. The Doctor and Mimi were still up there killing it, along with DG . The energy level was no less than what they display here. If you've never seen ToP, you must !! I catch them every chance I get.
I saw Tower of Power about a year or more ago and I've seen them a few times but the last time I saw them was one of the best times I've seen them. Garibaldi was better than ever and the horn line-up in general was the best I've heard. It's like they keep getting better. I mean these are real musicians, their musical fluency is only going to get better with age. They get you feeling good in no time.
@@danjuric622 Feelin the energy. When my bride and I went to see Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire in concert - the power of the combined horn sections was over the top! No one sat down and it seemed that all new and sang both band's songs during the show. Whoah
Whenever TOP plays in NY, Pickett always comes in for the last final few songs (or more). He still does the dance to this day (2020). Doubtful anyone from Saturday Night Live knows of his dancing skills. He would blow the audience away were he to showcase his 'Pickett Dance'.
This is pure musical joy. Holy crap, this is smokin'! This is fastest tempo for What Is Hip I've found so far. Lenny's dancing makes me laugh. Thanks for posting.
This whole performance makes me love music even more. Every instrument and vocal is to perfection. I hope this performance never gets kept under the rug. I'll make sure my new born grows up knowing this side of music history. He already gets excited and kicks when I play him good music. Thank you for the up load!
Oh yeah ,! I have been down. With C.T. Practically ever since. The mother of memory will allow. Friends. Wicked name 2. How can you Fuck with that. Name ,"""Chester""" Then BAM! ""THOMSON. !!! POW!! WITH A CAPITAL T. C.T. DOWN WITH T.O.P C.T.. likes. His soul. With a cap-it-al "S" They hit every. Syllable. Of the word ""capital" Crisp. Maximum Enunciation. But not overly so , as would. Be annoying. If. 1 were. 2 carry on tarrying about in such fashion. ""Task " task "" Still be digging. On James. Brown. ! Always. A. An homage That will stand as sentinel in2 eternity. As a clear beacon of. Light. James brown. And his undying commitment. To. Rigorous discipline. That there. Is an almost magic. Quality when the rhythm section. Adhere extra attention maximizing the. Crispy. Snap of a smooth funky undulating. Groove. JAMES BROWN. TRULY AMONG THE HEAVANLY. HOST. THE NEARLY serpentine fire. James. Fiercely imbues. The. Root. Rhythm. T. Ahe firmament upon which. His celestial. Voice found purchase adherence to the go r oot ! Thump that. Groove. Rock Steady but like. Its a covert military op. Stealthy. And strident. The key. I. To funk as a whole. We gonna. Takes this football beyond the final meridian N
This is great! It's a bit slick in spots, but even in those parts, their precise funk playing is so good. This rendition of "What is Hip?" is one of the great live performances in rock/pop.
Just heard them in Rhode Island last month, still like a freight train coming into town after over 40 years. First time I heard them in Providence at Brown U. in 1973. Been their biggest fan ever since.
I PLAYED WITH AL GREEN , TYRONE DAVIS, THE EMOTIONS AND JACKIE WILSON. THIS IS REAL MUSIC . THESE GUYS GIVE UPFRONT CREDIT TO BLACK ARTIST WHO PUT THE FUNK OUT FIRST.
I quit a Job in 76' to see Rod Stewart in San Diego, at Balboa Stadium. The opening Acts were, Loggins and Messina, Skynard, Fleetwood, and Rod with the Power and an Eleven Piece Orchestra! We had Fun!!
One of these days (beginning of April) it is 50 years since I by lots of coincidents happened to visit Fillmore East, not knowing that it was THE milestone of my musical life! Unbeliable that those tunes are 100% as good today! 🇸🇪
I used to catch these guys religiously at the Bottom Line in NYC from '73 to 85, it was living in rarefied air... always the late show...(the "deep" show as Emilio would say) any other groups playing in town would be in the audience , i remember the guys in Gentle Giant going berserk over Lenny's hyper altissimo solos
Saw Tower of Power in Calgary at Lucifer's nightclub way back in 1976 or so. Whenever I feel low energy, I dial up this vid and go to Lenny Pickett at 2:15 to 2:40 and just soak up his outstanding dance moves and energy, not to mention his superb lead tenor sax. Remembering how amazing they were in the small club with bandleader Emilio Castillo on tenor and Doc Kupka rocking on baritone with the other horn players. And Pickett still rocked as bandleader on SNL until recently. Check out some more group moves at 8:35 - 9:00 whew! Who says you can't live forever? ;-)
Garrison 7888 ....... me too was there ...........around 1972 -73 ........ cleveland agora .......... They were Amazing ............. Thought lenny williams was their Best Lead Voice ......... And they have had all really good ones ..........just voice now .......... Mr Braggs Was the whole deal ....a terrific showman ..... and he could belt em out .........THANK U FUNK GALAXY !!!!
Ron E Beck does an excellent job with ToP. Notice that What is Hip is quite a bit faster here than in the studio album, and Beck is driving it all the way without missing a thing. It's one thing to play with a band, it's another to drive it forward. Of course Dave Garibaldi was all about that, but I was very glad to see another drummer come along and keep the fire going.
_Really_ happy to become aware of this righteous, grooving drummer - his fit with TOP is seamless. Dave G is of course a superlative drummer, and a stylistic innovator of funk, to boot. But it's no insult to him to say that he's not particularly missed on this gig. REB is just _laying it down._
All these years later still love that Oakland sound. I watched this live and recorded the FM simulcast. The dumbest thing Chicago WTTW channel 11 ever did was let the Soundstage franchise get away from them after 1985.
