Re: What Is Hip/teaching etc

[Philip Clements <clements@ziplink.net>]

Gregg Woodfin wrote:
> 
> >Not to get off the track here, but I heard a band live at the Mohegan Sun
> >casino in Ct the other night and they played a song entitled "What is Hip?".
> >Has anybody heard of this song or know who might have recorded it??
> >
> >Max
> >
> 
> T.O.P featuring Chester Thompson.  I've had the pleasure of playing/singing
> this tune with a 7 piece group that featured sax, trumpet and bone.  What a
> treat.  Man are horns fun.  How many of us on the list are privileged enough
> to still have a horn section?
> 
> Just curious,
> 
> Gregg

I play with a 10-piece group called Funk University.  We feature two trumpets, 
trombone, 
sax(es), keys(me), drums, guitar, bass, vocalist, and percussionist.  The first 
time I 
heard the group I  knew I had to join.  Tower of Power is one of our favorite 
groups; we 
play "What is Hip" and other such classic funky horn tunes.  Although we are 
professional musicians who play in several other groups making more money, we 
drop what 
we're doing to gig with Funk U.  There's just no feeling like it.  Our most 
recent gig 
was at Deco's in Somerville, MA (just outside of Beantown) on Friday night, 
February 
28th.  The place was packed with cheering, dancing folks.  We play Deco's about 
once a 
month, so we have some regulars who always come out to hear us, but lots of 
times people 
who just drop in stand there with their mouths open in awe of the sound- you 
just don't 
get to hear the real thing much anymore; it's just not econonmically feasible 
to have a 
10-pc band in a barroom.  We just do it because we love it.  If anyone in the 
area is 
interested, e-mail me and I can keep you informed of upcoming dates.

Phil C.