During a Berklee Bass Department Zoom tribute honoring Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power’s legendary bassist), Chuck Rainey of Steely Dan Aja-era fame, shared a story about The Crusaders, a very successful jazz fusion group from the 1970s. Opening for The Crusaders was an unknown funk band from Oakland, California called Tower of Power (TOP). At that point in time, the Crusaders had never heard of TOP. As Rainey’s story goes, the first night of the tour had sold out. The Crusaders didn’t know much about their bombshell opening act; however, to their astonishment, they quickly discovered the impact of their opener’s infective funk.
That night The Crusaders began their set, but after playing a few songs, they witnessed people slowly heading out of the arena. Within 20 minutes the concert arena was nothing more than a half-filled venue. Astounded by this odd behavior, on the second night of the tour, The Crusaders watched TOP intently, and they witnessed the way TOP connected with their audience. As you might expect, when The Crusaders took the stage that night, the same unusual behavior reoccurred. Keep in mind, The Crusaders were a reputable, world- class jazz fusion band with multiple albums to their credit.
On the third day of the tour, Tower of Power was dismissed from the bill. TOP had committed the crime of being too uniquely good. And according to TOP founder Emilio Castillo, this exact scenario also happened again when TOP opened for George Benson. Benson also dismissed Tower of Power from his tour by claiming they we not an opening act.
There was a reason this was happening. You see, Tower of Power had multiple secret weapons, but at the core of their sound was a bassist named Rocco Prestia, who along with drummer David Garibaldi made up the core of the rhythm section, and they were utterly untouchable.
I remember a NAMM show where I happened to pass Rocco Prestia at an outdoor restaurant. I stopped and, of course, genuflected. I shared the story of how I have my drum students practice stick control exercises to his bass line in “What is Hip.” Without missing a beat, the other gentleman at the table looked up from his meal, smiled and said, “Damn, man, that is straight-up cruel!” Make no mistake, to this day that exercise remains in my teaching toolbox.
Unequivocally, Rocco didn’t play like anybody else; he was a true pioneer. More importantly, he and David Garibaldi created one of the most unique rhythm sections ever to grace modern music. Prestia reminds us that only a few have the courage and unique perspective to be a true innovator. If the loss of Rocco and Neil Peart wasn’t enough in 2020, seemingly just like that, Eddie Van Halen left us. You may ask, “How iconic was Eddie?” I saw a post on Facebook that read, “This one hurts.” There was Eddie’s famous Frankenstrat as the profile picture and as soon as I saw it, I knew. No name was mentioned in the post. No name was needed. We all have our favorite, quintessential “Eddie moments.”
For some, it is his overall sound, and for others, it is his blazing and brazen guitar technique in songs like “Eruption.” For many, it is his contagious charisma and athleticism on stage: his “star-quality.” Trailblazers break all the rules. That’s why we hold them in such high esteem. Consequently, the iconic “’Beat It’ moment” exploded onto the scene. Three brilliant minds – Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones – collaborated and, in true progressive fashion, changed the face of pop music forever. They obliterated every rule that had been established. In exactly four minutes and eighteen seconds everything we assumed was dependable in defining pop music, sailed out the window. With quite a wallop, Eddie had struck again!
What many don’t know is that Eddie not only played on that track, but he was instrumental in rearranging the song as well. “Beat It” had transformed the face of pop music and catapulted both Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen even further into the stratosphere. A few other secret ingredients in this song were players Jeff Porcaro and Steve Lukather of Toto. Humorously, Eddie wasn’t even paid for the session; he did it as a favor.
There is a great article in Los Angeles Magazine in May, 2020, written by Ted Templeman on discovering the band Van Halen and getting them signed. In the article Templeman reflects on the first time he saw Eddie play: “I’d seen Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie – all of those transcendent artists – but Ed was one of the best musicians I’d ever seen live. His choice of notes – the way he approached his instrument – reminded me of saxophonist Charlie Parker.”
To be compared to Parker, one of the most epochal musicians of all time, cements the truth that Eddie Van Halen was, indeed, a groundbreaker whose legacy will forever be referenced. We tip our collective hats to these two iconic musicians and celebrate their great works. Meanwhile, in some basement somewhere, there is an inspired, young musician dissecting every note these gentlemen played and striving to be the next influencer, the next great innovator. R.I.P., boys!
Menzie Pittman is the owner and director of education at Contemporary Music Center in Virginia (CMC). Following a performance and teaching career spanning more than 32 years, he founded CMC in 1989 and continues to perform, teach, and oversee daily operations. He has 50 years of musical experience as a drummer and drum instructor. Menzie is a frequent speaker at NAMM’s Idea Center, and a freelance writer for MMR’s “Small Business Matters.”
