Pickett is a current member of the Saturday Night Live band and a long-time leader of the Tower of Power horn section. During the '70s, the Tower of Power was the dominant session horn group, cutting their own successful R&B/funk/pop records and backing a host of stars from Elton John to many soul and R&B acts. Pickett continued with the group until the mid-'80s, then made a solo release as a leader. He is a stirring, blues-laden player who functions best doing short, tart solos in the middle of R&B/blues/pop pieces, but not a jazz player in the conventional sense. ~ Ron Wynn