Tower Of Power are one of the most compelling funk bands ever formed, a large part of which is due to their former bass player Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, who died on September 29 at the age of 69. His bass style, the band’s secret weapon, had to be seen to be believed, based as it was on super-dexterous picking, heavy muting and fills that defied all explanation - all delivered with supreme accuracy. TOP’s best-known song, ‘What Is Hip?’, is a perfect showcase for his playing: check it out before reading on, if you don’t have it running through your head already, of course.
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“People seem to associate me with ‘What Is Hip?’” he told me a couple of years ago. “That was our drummer David Garibaldi’s concept. He said he had this idea of the bass player droning on just one note, and everybody looked at him, like ‘What? That ain’t funky, what are you talking about?’ - but we did it, and that’s what came out.”