10/21/12 Tower of Power & Average White Band

Tower’s 40-year odyssey truly began in ‘68 when saxophonist and composer Emilio Castillo met Stephen “Doc” Kupka in July of that year. Doc and that signature baritone sax sound have been at the front of the band ever since. They quickly began playing gigs, and soon became very well known in the Oakland, CA area. Around that same time many other infamous bands began to embrace soaring careers that took off from Cali, like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Big Brother and Journey.

Tower of Power soon got their big break with Bill Graham’s San Francisco records and hit the road. And there they’ve been ever since. Always in demand, the band has never stopped touring and recording and always strives to entertain and amaze their dedicated fans, who often travel or plan their vacations so they can see the band — not that this should surprise you.

Joining Tower will be the equally epic soul/R&B group, Average White Band, with their Scottish funk and early disco vibe. Though perhaps best known for their instrumental mega-hit “Pick Up the Pieces,” the band’s strengths lay in their consistently tight song-writing, stretching across several gold-selling albums and multiple Grammy nominations. Somewhat ironically, given their Scottish roots and band name, the six piece took the influences of their R&B heroes — people like Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Donny Hathaway — and developed their own authentic sound, eagerly embraced by jazz, funk and soul crowds everywhere.

The current line-up of the band continues to record and tour around the world to ongoing critical and audience praise. All this and more is perfectly illustrated in the band’s latest release Times Squared, which showcases the breadth and depth of the band’s material, all captured within the excitement of a 2009 live performance. If you love horns and you love the funk, do not miss this double bill at the Klein.