East Bay Soul Sets Las Vegas Music Festival Ablaze
Greg Adams played trumpet and flugelhorn with Tower of Power, and served as the band’s horn section arranger, departing after a 25-year stint. For more than a decade, Adams has pursued a successful solo career performing his own brand of smooth jazz, while continuing to perform and arrange with other artists.
Recently, he got the itch to assemble an all-star band to play a hybrid musical set of both jazz, and the complex sound of horn-driven soul that Adams developed during his tenure with Tower of Power.
The East Bay Soul horn section, anchored by Adams, also features Lee Thornburg (trumpet & trombone), Johnny Bamont (baritone sax), & Tom Scott or Eric Marienthal (lead tenor).
Originally, the plan was to feature Tower of Power alumnus, Lenny Williams, on lead vocalist. Unfortunately, Williams, a 3-year member of Tower, during its heyday, proved to be too busy with his active acting schedule to be fully available for East Bay Soul bookings.
Not missing a beat, Adams asked veteran R & B Vocalist, Phil Perry to be lead vocalist for the band. Over the last two decades, Perry has been a very active performer, often working with Dave Koz. His silky sound seems to be an ideal fit for East Bay Soul.
In its debut, April 27th, at the Summerlin Jazz and Rhythm & Blues Festival, the band launched into motion with a smokin’ set sizzling with Adams originals and closing with an instrumental of Tower of Power’s classic, What Is Hip?.
To better serve readers of Soul Music News, we have created a hybrid calendar of dates for both Tower of Power & East Bay Soul. You simply can’t get too much of great horn-driven jazz, funk & soul. Now you can get it all in one place.
Andy Ebon
CEO of Soul
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August 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
WHAT A RECORD! Phil Perry is the best. http://www.nosolosmoothjazz.com