SoulMusicNews.com: Horn-driven soul, funk & jazz.

If you were introduced to 21-year old Amanda Corvini, you might guess that she plays the flute. You might even want to check her ID. Her lanky frame and youthful face belie her passion and skill for the baritone sax. Of course, you might spot one clue. She was sporting a Doc Kupka - style fedora.

During yet another night of special guest performances at the Palms, Las Vegas, Amanda stole the show, sitting in with Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns. Here is her story.

She comes from a musical family and, like both her parents, attends the Berklee School of Music (Amanda’s Profile) in Boston, Massachusetts. Amanda plays bari in the Berklee’s, appropriately named, Tower of Power ensemble.

The hardworking ‘keeper of the Santa Fe blog,‘ Bobby Gladd, had been exchanging emails with Amanda’s dad. The family had been planning to make a Las Vegas, among other things, to see Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns. But when Bobby heard the back story about Amanda, he and Santa Fe leader, Jerry Lopez, had just one instruction, “Have Amanda bring her axe.”

Bobby and Jerry sent Amanda a chart and an mp3 for Ain’t That Peculiar, and the magic moment was in motion. Last night Bobby introduced her, she stepped up with sparkling horn in tow, and took the room by storm.

Jerry had not selected just any tune. Ain’t That Peculiar has a horn bridge and turn around (click for mp3) built for the bari player. Not overwhelmed by the moment, whatsoever, Amanda stepped up and nailed it. The crowd rose to its collective feet and roared with approval.

Thanks to Jerry Lopez, Bobby Gladd, and the entire Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns entourage for their generosity of musical spirit. Congratulations to Amanda, and thanks to her folks for making the trip.

You can visit Amanda on MySpace.

Andy Ebon
CEO of Soul

Ain't That Peculiar - Bari Sax Chart

Technorati Tags: Ain't That Peculiar, Amanda Corvini, andyebon, berklee school of music, bobby gladd, CEO of Soul, horn section, Jerry Lopez, Palms Hotel & Casino, Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns, Tower of Power, tower of power ensemble

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Today, August 13th, marks the 40th Anniversary of the “East Bay Kings of Funk & Soul,” Tower of Power.

What started as “The Gotham City Crime Fighters,” graduated to “The Motowns,” and finally to “Tower of Power.”

There are many interesting story lines, musical lineage, and trivia about Tower of Power. The most amazing part is that the band has performed continuously for its entire history and for all the evolution of its roster, today’s lineup still includes four anchor members: Emilio Castillo, Doc Kupka, Rocco Prestia, & David Garibaldi.

To hear Tower of Power on CD, is one thing. To hear them live, is quite another. If you haven’t seen the band in a while, you should seek them out again. Matter of fact, you should see them as often as you can.

The big destination events this fall are three nights in Las Vegas, September 19th - 21st, at the Suncoast Casino, and the Official 40th Anniversary Celebration at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, October 18th.

Tonight, Tower of Power is performing at the San Mateo County Fair. If you are anywhere nearby, get there. If not, break out every bit of Tower of Power music you own, and have your own TOP-music-marathon.

Please feel free to post your anniversary wishes, here.

Andy Ebon
CEO of Soul

Technorati Tags: 40th anniversary, David Garibaldi, Doc Kupka, east bay soul music, Emilio Castillo, Rocco Prestia, Tower of Power

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Las Vegas, NV - 6/7/08: Andy Ebon, CEO of Soul, has taken the next big step to expand the reach of Soul Music News by creating a presence in MySpace.com.

The vast networking appeal of MySpace, in the international music community, demands that the Soul Music News Blog develop an active participation, there.

You are invited to become a friend of the CEO of Soul on MySpace.

Andy Ebon
CEO of Soul

Technorati Tags: Andy Ebon, CEO of Soul, MySpace, Soul Music News Blog

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Buddy Miles, the drummer in Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and a hitmaker under his own name with the song “Them Changes,” died on at his home in Austin, Tex. He was 60.

Mr. Miles suffered from congestive heat failure, his publicist, Duane Lee, said, according to Reuters. Lee said he did not know the official cause of death.

A partial list of the musicians Buddy Miles performed with include: Jimi Hendrix, Wilson Pickett, The Buddy Miles Express, John McLaughlin, Billy Cox, Mitch Mitchell, Michael Bloomfield, Carlos Santana, Herbie Rich, Jim McCarty, Andre Lewis, Stemsy Hunter, Bob Hogins, Marcus Doubleday, Noel Redding, Charlie Karp, Johnny Winter, Larry Young, Al Kooper, Toby Wynn, Roland Robinson, Robert Musso, Eddie Hoh, Randy Jo Hobbs, California Raisins, Electric Flag, Hardware, Band of Gypsies, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Express. Bruce Cameron, Funkadelic, Three Man Army, and Greg Allman.

Read more about Buddy Miles on Wikipedia.

Andy Ebon
CEO of Soul

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The following obituary was printed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel last Thursday under “Remembrances”. This was provided by Annie Van Brunt, Bruce’s longtime partner and companion.
Bruce Marshall Steinberg completed his extraordinary life early December 30th in Santa Cruz, California after a brief illness. He was 64. (pictured left: Al Carlos Hernandez, Skip Mesquite & Bruce Steinberg)

Bruce was born May 17, 1943 in Queens, New York to Emily Cowan and Arthur Steinberg. Bruce began acting at a young age using the name Bruce Marshall, performing as a regular on NBC’s the Children’s Hour on of the earliest children’s shows on television, produced by Horn & Hardart (the Automat). He also recorded for Disney, costarred in the short lived television series “Jamie” with Brandon DeWilde and performed in theater with actors such as Burgess Meredeth. Concurrently, Bruce was a dedicated ham radio operator and, by the age of twelve, had his own call sign: N6LZ.

Bruce attended the School for Performing Arts eventually transferring to Stuyvesant High School to pursue his love of science and engineering. Bruce entered Cornell University’s Engineering program at the age of 16. He excelled academically but was equally proud of being on the varsity rowing team.

After receiving his B.E.E. degree, he went directly to Cape Kennedy and the Apollo One program where he worked as a PCM Telemetry Field Engineer. Intrigued by the emerging music scene in San Francisco, he moved to California in the summer of 1966 and worked as a Quality Assurance Engineer for the Mariner Mars Program at Berkeley’s Space Science Lab before leaving the engineering field to document the San Francisco Bay Area rock and roll and funk scene.

Bruce shot a series of photos of Janis Joplin, catching her enigmatic personality so well, that Warner signed him on as one of their photographers and album cover designers. His impressive list of rock, funk and jazz album credits include Tower of Power, Azteca, Santana, It’s a Beautiful Day, Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship, Link Wray, The Pointer Sisters, John Lee Hooker, Lee Ritenour, Eddie Henderson and countless other groups and performers from the 1960s, 70s and beyond. An accomplished blues harp player, Bruce would occasionally sit in with the bands and even recorded with It’s A Beautiful Day and also drummer James Levi and bassist Paul Jackson.

In the late 1960s he also shot a breathtaking series of photos of the Bay Bridge workers, fearlessly accompanying them on the high cable lines to get the best possible shots.

In 1983 Bruce moved to Santa Cruz and worked for ten years with Santa Cruz Operations (SCO) as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. After leaving SCO, he worked as a marketing consultant and writer, continuing to take photographs of everything along the way.

Due to increased public interest and a desire to return to his most satisfying work, Bruce began to show his photography again, leading to representation by the San Francisco Art Exchange and Rush Creek Editions. He also developed and recently launched his own website, where his work can also be viewed.

Bruce was an inveterate traveler. He made enduring friendships through his travels as well as virtually through Internet connections and discussion forums covering a myriad of topics. He was a brilliant artist, extraordinary photographer, and a talented, intelligent writer. However, his greatest joy was as a devoted father, grandfather and friend.

Bruce is survived by his children, Cheyenne Young and Jenny Roth, their spouses and his beloved granddaughter Teagan. He is also survived by his long time partner and companion Annie Van Brunt, his co-parent Adrienne Young, and close friend Patricia Rain. His memory is kept alive through the love and admiration of his numerous friends around the world. A celebration of his life will be held in early February.

Donations to help cover unforeseen cost are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to the Bruce M. Steinberg Memorial Fund c/o J. Roth 4360 Diamond Street #2 Capitola, Ca. 95010.

Technorati Tags: Bruce Steinberg, Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship, John Lee Hooker, Pointer Sisters, Santana, Tower of Power

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