![]() ![]() As we are on the road together we will get a chance to experience each other and talk about our families, music and Christ,” he said. “Emilio and I share a love of Christ and his influence on our lives. ![]() But in the meantime he is focused on bonding with his band members including tenor saxophonist/vocalist and founding member, Emilio Castillo. Greene also hopes to bring his touch to Tower of Power’s forthcoming new album, which is being recorded as they tour around the world. I cannot do all Lenny’s riffs the whole night. How can there not be an influence when he was such a powerful force in their music? So I want to hark back to that but bring a fresher face to it as well. “Some people said they can hear some of Lenny’s influences on me. But for those looking to the present and future Greene is ready to give such songs a fresh vocal makeover. Listeners can reminisce on those days with the recent release of a live archival album from 1974 with Williams. It is Williams’ voice that helped make songs such as “You’re Still a Young Man,” “What is Hip?” and “So Very Hard to Go,” instant classics. However Greene isn’t likely to be compared to Braggs as much as to Lenny Williams, arguably the most memorable and commercially successful lead singer of Tower of Power. This past New Year’s Eve, Greene officially replaced former lead singer, Larry Braggs who toured with the band for 13 years. “I’ve always had this vision of reaching audiences throughout the world.” “I was happy with what I was doing but not completely satisfied with my life,” he revealed. Prior to joining the group, Greene built a loyal following in the local Boston area performing at corporate gigs, clubs and releasing several solo albums. Now he’s finally getting his chance to do just that as the new lead singer of legendary funk/soul band, Tower of Power. Ray Greene always knew that he was destined to share his musical gifts with audiences around the world. Black Financial Health Open dropdown menu.CT also takes us into orbit before the horn and rhythmic syncopation close. It has a ballad-like interlude from LP that segues into a super jazz-funk opus with Lenny’s supersonic altissimo blasts. The album Direct + has an alternate version of Squib Cakes that is a compelling listen. ![]() In the early ’80s the band decided to recut some classics in what at the time was a revolutionary process, direct to disc bypassing the use of magnetic tape recording to record audio directly onto analog disc masters. This is a good place to start if you want to hear the essence of this band. It’s got some of the most memorable horn lines, drum rhythms and organ solos in history. They sure sound like they had the chops when you listen to this tune. David Garibaldi recently commented in a video that several takes had to be recorded to get it right as the band wasn’t “tight” at the time. In my view, it is considered one of the great funkstrumentals of all time. S quib Cakes on Back to Oakland was written by CT and anyone who knows TOP knows this tune. Here’s a public Spotify playlist of all the studio instrumentals with my commentary on each tune below – But TOP has been a powerhouse in cranking out some unbelievable jams over the years, several of which including ‘Squib Cakes’ that were written by CT, the greatest B3 player ever. On the flip side, the guys have put out some of the best, funkiest, instrumental tunes throughout their career, with perhaps the best known being ‘Squib Cakes’ off their fifth album, Back to Oakland. Of course the horn section was always tight as a fist featuring Lenny ‘LP’ Pickett on lead tenor, Greg Adams on trumpet/flugelhorn who also arranged many of the tunes, and the late double threat Mic Gillette on trumpet and trombone. The groove was set by David Garibaldi on drums, the late and legendary Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia on bass and Chester ‘CT’ Thompson on Hammond B3. Emilio Castillo (bandleader, tenor sax, vocals) and Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka penned a lot of those classic tunes. The band’s core members throughout the years have become role models for many recording artists. ![]() The ‘Tower’, ‘TOP’, has been around since 1968 and are best known for their iconic songs, “What Is Hip”, “You’re Still A Young Man”, “So Very Hard To Go” and on and on. T ower of Power is undeniably the greatest horn band of all time. ![]()
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