War, Tower of Power and Poncho Sanchez in Inglewood

Three legendary California bands joined forces to bring a special holiday gift to fans at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA. War, Tower of Power and Poncho Sanchez have all had celebrated careers spanning five plus decades. Each band delivered an assortment of funk, soul and Latin jazz songs to a packed house that enjoyed classic tunes spanning each of the bands’ collection of hits.

War is still led by original member, Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan who plays keys and delivers animated vocals. It was obvious that Jordan was having a great time during the set. He smiled, gestured enthusiastically and acknowledged the supportive shouts from the crowd. The audience was into the show from the first notes of “The Cisco Kid,” dancing in the aisles and singing along. The band did excellent versions of some of their best-known songs including “Slippin’ into Darkness” and “Spill The Wine.”

Longtime band member and drummer Sal Rodriguez took over on vocals for an old love ballad called “So.” Jordan kept the mellow vibe going, leading the way on “Don’t Let No One Get You Down,” before the band brought the energy back up for the end of the set. “Why Can’t We Be Friends” had everyone in the audience singing as Jordan, Rodriguez, saxophone player Scott Martin, bassist Rene Camacho, harmonica player Mitch Kashmar and guitarist James Zota Baker all took over for a verse. A raucous version of “Low Rider” ended things as Jordan took time to introduce everyone, including his wife, who came from the wings and told the crowd that she made the backdrop tapestries many years earlier.

Tower of Power is still going strong after 57 years. Founding members Emilio Castillo on tenor sax and vocals and Stephen “Doc” Gupta on baritone sax are the last original members since drummer David Garibaldi retired in 2024. The band is famous for their tight horn arrangements and they still deliver in that regard. Adolfo Acosta on trumpet and flugelhorn and Tom E. Politzer on lead tenor saxophone have been with the band for over 20 years. Dave Richards on trumpet, flugelhorn, and trombone joined in 2023. The horns were in brilliant synchrony throughout the set. Pete Antunes, who took over after Garibaldi retired, did an excellent job behind the drum kit. Lead vocalist and guitar player Jordan John joined the group in 2024. His high energy and fantastic voice complemented the band’s impressive instrumentals.

The hits came fast and early, leading with “Soul With A Capital S.” “Soul Vaccination” and “Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle Of A Stream)” featured up-tempo horns. Jordan and lead guitarist Jerry Cortez also exchanged inspiring solos. The band mixed in two tracks from their 2024 holiday album It’s Christmas. Both “Silver Bells” and “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” got their signature brass driven treatment. Emilio Castillo took over on lead vocals for “You Got to Funkifize” with the band harmonizing beautifully. Politzer blasted a striking, melodic solo to end the song. Castillo took the audience way back with the next tune, “You’re Still a Young Man,” telling everyone it was the first one he and Gupta wrote in 1968. John was on lead vocals for the ballad, showing off his amazing range as Castillo, Politzer, Cortez and keyboard player Mike Jerel delivered more sweet harmonies. Castillo and John took turns on vocals for a James Brown tribute medley before the band closed out their set with a spirited “What is Hip?”

Poncho Sanchez, the celebrated conga player and vocalist, opened the show with his band. “Poncho’s Beat” and a medley of Spanish language tunes got the crowd energized. Band director and trombonist Francisco Torres played a long, intricate solo during “Co Co My My.” Pianist Andy Langham offered a colorful solo during “Besame Mama” before Sanchez knocked out a rapid solo. Sanchez led on vocals for a set closing, bouncy salsa number called “Batiri Cha Cha.”