•
Rating: If it is true that in African American slang the word funk refers to the smell emitted by the body in a state of excitement, the lethal horns of Tower Of Power have captured the essence of this “primordial” energy by translating it into a mix of funk, soul, and jazz, all set against devastating rhythmic scenarios.
“Soul Vaccination Live” is just a compendium of the extraordinary funk style coined by the group, credited as the best brass section of the '70s and featured in numerous successful productions of Earth, Wind & Fire, Santana, etc., where the polytone richness of the horns marries an unstoppable rhythmic tandem, composed of the great Francis Rocco Prestia and Dave Garibaldi, the evident Italian-American touch of the ensemble.
In fact, if the three saxophones (Emilio Castillo, Stephen Kupka, Tom Politzer) and the two trumpets (Adolpho Costa, Mike Bogart) support the kaleidoscopic harmonies of the arrangements, the rhythmic peculiarity of ToP is attributable, in addition to the formidable drummer Dave Garibaldi, to one of the recognized masters of electric bass, namely Francis Rocco Prestia, whose fingerstyle funk has inspired generations of bassists from Patitucci to Berlin, up to the great Jaco Pastorius who adopted the so-called “16th note carpet”, meaning a sort of continuous percussion of the strings highlighting precise rhythmic figures.
The individual compositions of the album, although all of high quality, are of secondary importance in the music of Tower Of Power: the central core of the sound is fueled by a scorching and constant funky-groove that, obviously taking its cue from Mr. Brown, is colored with pressing bass-lines, syncopated guitar riffs, and large instrumental spaces of a jazz-like nature. Despite this premise, of course, this live album features the recognized hits of the group: from the breathless “What is Hip?”, led by the relentless Rocco Prestia, to the melodic touches of “You're Still a Young Man”, which also highlights adequate vocal harmonies, or even, the countertempo of “Diggin’ on a James Brown”, all of which, however, is always supported by a sincere and generous pulsating funky heart.
Therefore, an album recommended for all the nostalgics of the seventy-sound, lovers of black music, but above all, I would say, bassists and drummers for whom Tower Of Power are true masters of groove, this mysterious element in which music finds its tribal ancestral roots.
Loading comments slowly
