Funk Filharmonik is a long-running a funk and soul outfit from Astoria,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

which has been together since the mid-1980s. The group contains former

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the b ...

members. Individually and collectively the group has performed and recorded with major artists.

History

The group was formed in Huntington in 1985. The original name for the group was Funk Philharmonia. Their first show was on November 21, 1985. They are one of the longest-running groups from

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. In the late 1990s, there were two former Tower of Power members in its lineup. Two of the founding members were drummer Steve Finkelstein and trombonist and singer, Ozzie Melendez. Melendez has recorded with

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

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and

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born 19 September 1958) is an English-born American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo ...

. Finklestein had worked with

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

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and the

. Members of the group have worked with and recorded with artists such as

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...

, Willie Colon, Freddie Hubbard, Jonathan Butler, Marc Anthony,

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

, and the

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. In 2008, they released their album ''Everybody Get Down''. Guest musicians on the album included Barry Danielian, Carl Fischer,

Jillian Armsbury Jillian Armsbury was a singer, performer, songwriter and occasional activist, originally from Washington state. She was a pioneer in the Charanga R&B music genre. She was the lead singer of the Latin group Los Jovenes del Barrio. She had worked ...

, Tim Lawless and Ted Kumpel. In April 2015, the group was appearing with Troy Ramey at K.J. Farrells in Nassau County. In late November 2015, the group was appearing at The Rockville Centre in New York.

Members

* Tom Bowes – Lead Vocals * Ozzie Melendez – Musical Director, Trombone & Vocals * Lee Finkelstein – Drums, Band Leader * Brent Carter – Lead Vocals * Ron Fox – Trumpet * Vinnie Cinquemani – Trumpet * John Scarpulla – Tenor Sax * Dave Lavender – Guitar * Chris Karlic – Baritone Sax * Jack Knight – Bass * Greg Schleich – Keyboards * Steve Finkelstein – PercussionTicketfly, Tuesday, March 26, 2013
''The Cutting Room Presents:'' Funk Filharmonik
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Funk Filharmonik American soul musical groups American funk musical groups Musical groups established in 1985 1985 establishments in New York (state)