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Lee Finkelstein
(September 2005 Issue)
Feeling The Power Of Tower When New York drummer
Lee Finkelstein got the call to cover Dave
Garibaldi's chair for a
string of gigs with Tower Of Power, he had every reason to feel well
prepared. In a career spanning
over twenty years, Finkelstein has built
up a reputation as one of the funkiest and most versatile drummers in
town, playing
with artists as diverse as Ben E. King, Donna Summer, and
Bill Cosby. (Lee was the studio drummer for The Cosby
Show.)
And, oh yeah, he is the co-founder, drummer, and leader of the
twelve-piece Funk Filharmonik, which for eighteen
years has been
serving up soulful dollops of the music of none other than Tower Of
Power.
As for Finkelstein's
work with TOP, the drummer
embarked on what he calls "an educational, ass-kicking, and humbling
experience." He had two
day's notice, no rehearsal, and only a
soundcheck to get acclimated to the band. "Garibaldi has some of the
biggest
shoes on the planet to fill," Lee says. "I raised my seat and
changed the position of my snare so I could play with more of
an
edge'they kept telling me to "push more." During my
soundcheck/rehearsal, I went for a Funk Filharmonik fill that I
usually
do, and it was like someone pulled the plug on a treadmill and five
guys kept running - I had to cop the Garibaldi fill.
After the fourth
show I was getting on the bus and thinking to myself that it felt
great. Just then saxophonist and leader Emilio
Castillo turned to me
and said, "Man, you sounded great tonight.' It really felt good to get that confirmation.?
Jon Albrink
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