Adolfo Acosta: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Playing with Tower of Power is so much fun! The horn parts are so strong, the voiceings are nice and fat, I just never get tired of the gig. It’s like being an actor – you have the same script each night but you find ways of bringing a new energy to each performance. Most of all, I really like the music Tower plays, so you can't beat that. I ‘m lucky to be a part of it.
The image of Tower of Power as this big, well-oiled machine coming down the pike is about right, because when we’re cooking along, watch out! Man, it’s a big rush. The other night, for instance, when we were playing “Soul With A Capital ‘S,” everyone was so locked, mentally and musically, into those last three notes – BA-DA-DAT! There was so much energy, it was like a great explosion. POW! You could almost see the smoke!
I’ll always remember my first gig with the band, July 1, 2000, in Croyden, England. What a rush! I couldn’t believe I was playing with Tower of Power and that I was hearing the band live – on stage -- from the second trumpet spot. Then there was the crowd noise. It was so intense that I had a hard time hearing the count-offs!
It’s a lot of fun being part of the team. Ten guys, every part has a purpose, we’re working together, trying to make everything fit. It’s a challenge to do your part, as best you can, every time. Being a part of the history of Tower of Power -- that’s a trip, too. If I think about it too much…Let’s just say that if I did, it would be pretty overwhelming! (Laughs.)
I started falling in love with the trumpet when I was in the seventh grade. We lived in public housing in Santa Barbara and I practiced all through high school. Four p.m. to ten p.m. – that was the curfew. I was a big Chuck Mangione fan -- I loved the sound of his flugelhorn and wore the grooves out of Feels So Good. It was the hip instrumental tune at the time; the melody was fun and catchy and I must have found some inspiration in that innocence - just the simplicity. I've always been a sucker for a good melody.
My dad was a difficult taskmaster. He used to dog jazz all the time. He preferred mariachi, banda, ranchera, cumbia and Mexican pop-rock – and it drove me nuts. Not the music, but the fact that he used to play it so loud and that he wanted us to like it the same way he did. At that time I was listening to what my friends at school were listening to -- Huey Lewis, Def Leopard, rock and pop stuff like that. Now, my mom listened to a variety of singers: Ray Charles, Petula Clark, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, some Mexican singers like Vicente Fernandez and Julio Iglesias. She wasn't into the pop and rock on the radio but she ended up liking a little bit of jazz. Mom and Dad have passed away and never got a chance to see me with the band, but I know they’re proud of me, and I know they’re happy for me.
I never told my sister, but I also listened to her records – Michael Jackson, Chicago, Al Jarreau, Kool and The Gang. I’d write the parts out and saw how difficult they were – which only made me practice harder. Maynard Ferguson was another one of my favorites; he knocked my socks off. I also had a cassette of a Dizzy Gillespie concert that I recorded from a TV show -- his Latin flavors really spoke to me. Such a funky cat…
My sound? Oh, man! Let’s just say that I’m a work in progress. I’m shaping and improving every day. Hopefully, I’ll be saying the same thing in 20 years!
When I was in high school, I’d stand outside the music clubs to hear my trumpet teacher, Jeff Elliott. I wasn’t actually old enough to go inside! Jeff brought so much style to every group he played with. He had such great ideas, chops and range. He was a huge inspiration -- I wanted to do what Jeff did. The other day he left a message on my answering machine, saying he was proud of me. That really felt good.
So I’ve had the good fortune of having great teachers. I've studied the most with Jeff Elliott, Bobby Shew, and Jay Saunders. To me, teachers share as much about music as they do about living life to its fullest. It’s funny -- young players are starting to reach out to me, for direction and advice -- and I still feel like a student myself! (Laughs.) But I feel really good about it. Hopefully I can give them the kind of support that inspired and nurtured me.
One night in Texas I got a phone call from Mike (Bogart). I was playing with Maynard Ferguson’s band at the time – he said Tower was looking for a second trumpet player. And it was like hitting the jackpot for a second time. Maynard was so happy for me – I think he saw himself as a young cat, too, taking that next step on his journey.
The first time I saw Tower was on TV, as special guests on a VH-1 special, I was a sophomore in high school. The guys just had a look about them. Lee Thornburgh was playing trumpet; he had a moustache and long hair. There was a Hispanic guy named Emilio (Castillo) – I didn’t know he was Greek and Mexican! Doc (Kupka) had the hat and I thought, Cool!
Let’s see, some little known facts… I was a student of the jazz music program at North Texas State, class of Norah Jones! Smoking cigars is a fairly new hobby and I'm finding it fun and relaxing. On the road, I like to try new restaurants and visit old favorites. Back home, well, I’ve got to get more organized!
Being the baby in the band definitely has its privileges, it’s like having lots of older brothers. And for a dysfunctional family, it‘s amazingly functional! (Laughs.) But show me a family that isn’t dysfunctional! I just try to treat others as I would like to be treated.
Whatever we play – new tunes or old – it’s always cool. The other night I had dinner with Roger (Smith) and David (Garibaldi) in New Orleans and I told them how much I liked the challenge of playing everything perfectly. It’s like having a dart board and trying to hit the bulls eye on every tune, every night. I just never get tired of having the same set of darts.
I’m living a dream today, meeting the guys whose names I memorized from my favorite albums. Being around so many great players, people who give a voice to their vision – it’s distracting sometimes! And as they continue to challenge me, I’m learning to listen, and grow, in new ways.
All band member biographies were compiled by Leo Sacks.
Leo Sacks is a freelance record producer in New York. With Emilio Castillo, he co-wrote “Happy ‘Bout That” and “Stranger In My Own House” for Tower of Power’s Oakland Zone (Or Music, 2003), and the bonus track “Nothing Like It” for the European edition.