About five, six years back, I realized that my record collection was seriously lacking in horns, and particularly deficient in Tower of Power – happily corrected with a few visits to the record store that was then open here in Phoenixville, PA. And once I realized that my life had been severely deficient in horn-based soul, we weren’t going to miss another opportunity to see the band live up in Glenside, PA last year. (They had played there a couple of years before and we’d been tempted, but it was just a night or two after an Aimee Mann show we just had to see.) Featuring a number of original and very long-time players, fronted by an energetic new singer, and playing for an audience that had clearly seen them many times over the decades, that Tower of Power show at the Keswick Theater was one for the ages.
So, who do you get to open for a 10-piece classic soul/funk horn band? How about a nine-piece more modern soul/funk horn band? That was Joslyn and the Sweet Compression – it has to be a lot to open for one of the all-time classic bands playing in the same genre, but boy was this group up for it. And so we waited in line after the show to pick up their record in appreciation for putting on a great opening set. It’s great, easy-going soul with a kick, and highly recommended. If you get a chance to see them live, you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s the official website for Joslyn & The Sweet Compression
