What is hip may change from minute to minute, but some things, like Tower Of Power, will never be passe. Formed in 1968, TOP was one of the first multi-ethnic bands in pop; and they wrote the book on horn-driven funk! Their fantastically complex yet grooving funk hits and ballads were all tied together by a succession of soulful black lead singers.
While their horn-heavy ballads got the band onto pop radio in the early seventies, their instrumental funk scorchers "What is Hip", "Knock Yourself Out", "Back on the Streets Again," "Squib Cakes," and "Soul Vaccination" put them on the short list of swinging jazz-funk masters.