TOWER OF
POWER – EAST BAY GREASE / BUMP CITY (ORIGINAL RECORDING MASTER LIMITED EDITION)
For over
four decades, Tower Of Power have been the one of the premier soul, funk and
rock bands of our time. Captivating audiences all over the world, the mighty
Bay Area ensemble continues to tour extensively and release great music but it
all started with the two classic soul masterpieces you now have in your
hand…1970’s East Bay Grease and 1972’s Bump City. East Bay Grease reigns as one
of the most notable debuts in funk history. With six super long jams from the
pens of founders Emilio Castillo (alto sax/vocals) and Stephen Kupka (baritone
sax/vocals), the album was a perfect vehicle for the band to be one of the
first artists to get signed to the late Bill Graham’s San Francisco Records
label. It also did well on the underground radio format as well as r&b
outlets across the country. Solid champions like Knock Yourself Out, Back On
The Street Again and the soulful ballad groove of Sparkling In The Sand and the
James Brown vibe of The Price made this album truly memorable. While only a
member for this one Lp, Rufus Miller does a stellar job on vocals. Long time
members David Garibaldi debuts his awesome TOP drum sound on this masterwork,
along with the incredible five horn attack of Castillo and Kupka, with co-horts
Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite and David Padron. Bump City was their debut release
for the Warner Bros. label and it also included their first hit single You’re
Still A Young Man. The band changed things up a bit for this fine album
including a new lead singer with Rick Stevens as more success materialized for
this hardworking band. Radio was more receptive as tunes like Down To The
Nightclub and You Got To Funkifize made this the funk album of choice for many
programmers in 1972. Frequent touring at larger venues and more exposure on
major market radio stations and television made Tower Of Power a very popular
entity in a very short time, which would reward their hard work with over forty
years of success. Friday Music is no stranger to the soulful and funk sounds of
the legendary superstars Tower Of Power. Therefore it is with much honor to
continue our Tower Of Power & Friday Music Original Master Series with
their first two albums in a first time two-fer collection East Bay Grease &
Bump City (2 Lp’s on 1 CD). Impeccably mastered by Joe Reagoso (Tower Of Power,
Isley Brothers) from the original San Francisco Records and Warner Bros. tapes,
we’ve also included the original Lp cover graphics to further enhance your
Tower Of Power experience. Knock Yourself Out! ~ Amazon
TOM
TALLITSCH – ALL TOGETHER NOW
A great
one from tenorist Tom Tallistch – a player we love more and more with each new
record! Tom's not just a hell of a player, but a great writer too – and his
compositions here are filled with a sense of life and soul that's much deeper
than you might expect from the album's cover – that kind of subtle brilliance
that's really making the Posi-tone label one of the best in contemporary jazz
these days – especially with artists like Tallistch on their roster! The group
also features work from other great labelmates – Mike DiRubbo on alto, Michael
Dease on trombone, and Brian Charette on piano and organ – on a set of
excellent tracks that include "Passages", "Slippery Rock",
"Big Sky", "Border Crossing", "Curmudgeon", and
"Dunes". ~ Dusty Groove
TIM BERNE’S
SNAKEOIL – YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING ME
Tim Berne
really seems to have found his great energy of old while working with his
Snakeoil group – that richly-expressive sense of tones and timings that made
him such a powerful force at the start, and which has really gotten us
listening to his music all over again these days! Berne's on alto, but that's
only part of the equation here – as the group also features these amazing lines
from Oscar Noriega on clarinet and bass clarinet – used at a sharper level, to
bring out even more edge than Tim's instrument. The group also has some
excellent piano from Matt Mitchell – whose acoustic lines are a masterpiece of
space and strength – sometimes balanced by his own electronics, and use of
vibes, timpani, and other percussion by Ches Smith, the group's drummer. The
guitars of Ryan Ferreira are used selectively, but in a way that only increases
their power – and titles include "Lost In Redding",
"Angles", "You've Been Watching Me", "Semi-Self
Detached", and "False Impressions". ~ Dusty Groove
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