IMN : Updates for Maceo Parker

INTERVIEW: Maceo Parker Makes it Funky

IMN

April 12th, 2012

from Canberra Times

Make it Funky
By John Shand

Not one to argue, Maceo Parker lets his sax do the talking.

Maceo Parker loves westerns. Watching John Wayne or Clint Eastwood spray bullets around his laptop is his favourite escape from the bump and grind of leading one of the world’s funkiest bands.

Not that Parker, 69, doesn’t still love what he does. Even after five decades on the road, the arch saxophonist laughs at the idea that just occasionally he heads for the stage wishing he were somewhere else.

‘‘I’m really at ease in being me,’‘ he says, ‘‘and going all around the world playing music. But I do get a lift once we start. I’m humming stuff in the dressing room and smiling, looking at myself and making sure I don’t have nose hair! But once I get really close to the stage and the guys are doing the intro thing, I do get a pick-me-up.’‘

Parker’s saxophone has been the meteor racing across the sky above the music of James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Prince and his own bands, but he could easily have followed his teenage music buddies into college instead. ‘‘They’d get a teaching job somewhere,’‘ he says, ‘‘and have a high school band doing half-time shows at football games and Christmas parades. I thought: ‘OK, is that the top of it? … I’d rather be a performer and perhaps have my own group.’‘’

The North Carolina native is a rather more congenial bandleader than was Brown, who was renowned for routinely fining his musicians for misdemeanours ranging from on-stage mistakes to unpunctuality.

‘‘I like to give the guys a little bit of freedom,’‘ Parker says, ‘‘but at the same time, I do like us to stay on the same page. But I like for them to have fun, and that makes it easy. There are guys that have been with me for years and years, so I do something right.’‘

INTERVIEW: Maceo Parker in Melbourne

IMN

April 12th, 2012

from ABC Melbourne

Having just returned from playing the Byron Bay Blues Festival, Maceo Parker called by the studios yesterday to talk about his stellar career with the host of 774 Afternoons, George McEncroe.

American saxophone player Maceo Parker is a music legend.
Born in 1943, the man has played and collaborated with the likes of James Brown, George Clinton, Ray Charles and contemporary musicians Ani Difranco, De La Soul, Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. His blend of funk and soul appeals to generations of music fans.

With a voice steeped in music history, Parker shared stories about his amazing career; how he lied to James Brown to get a gig in his band, why he chose a solo career over teaching music, fame and why he still loves touring today.

“I never would have imagined people would name their kids Maceo, I’ve signed pets and walls and kids…” he told McEncroe.

Settle in, and listen to the voice of one of music’s best share his stories.

Maceo Parker to Perform at Grammy Awards

IMN

February 8th, 2012

Saxophone colossus Maceo Parker has been invited to perform at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Parker joins fellow invitees The Beach Boys, Foster The People, Maroon 5, The Civil Wars and Diana Krall.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Westwood One/Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

INTERVIEW: Maceo Parker on Hawaii Public Radio

IMN

January 26th, 2012

from Hawaii Public Radio

Maceo Parker is back in the islands. The legendary sax player was a crucial member of the JB’s, backing funk founder James Brown, as well as serving under George Clinton in Parliament and Funkadelic. He called HPR’s Dave Lawrence…

Maceo Parker performs at the Kahilu Theater on the Big Island Friday and the MACC on Maui Saturday; get more information on him at his website maceo.com. Here are a couple of live videos, one more recent and one vintage featuring James Brown, which were used in the radio piece. While Fred Wesley is not performing with Maceo on this tour, we spoke with him to add context to the story. We’ve included his complete interview for this online feature.

Listen to the full interview here

Maceo Parker: Keepin' Things Funky

IMN

January 12th, 2012

from The Maui News

Maceo Parker: Keepin’ Things Funky
By Jon Woodhouse

Sax legend Maceo Parker likes to clear up any misperceptions when he performs in concert. Don’t expect a jazz concert, he informs folks, because they’re about to experience some serious funk.

“Sometimes people are confused when they see the instrument, and a lot of times we’re invited to jazz festivals,” Parker explains. “I love jazz, I’m not knocking it. I’ll play an up-tempo section of ‘Satin Doll, with the keyboard player, real fast, and out of that we’ll go into some funk.”

Fronting what he likes to call “the tightest little funk orchestra on Earth,” Parker’s signature sax style has ignited some of the greatest soul/funk tunes and albums, from James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good),” to Parliament-Funkadelic’s “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk!),” and more recently, Prince’s brilliant “One Night Alone Live.”

When Prince introduced Parker in December at the opening of the “Welcome 2 Canada” tour, he hailed the saxophonist as “the baddest man in show business.” And back in the ’60s, he was immortalized by the Godfather of Soul, who would often call out, “Maceo, I want you to blow!”

So how does this musical legend rate his stature in the halls of funk royalty?

“I’m recognized by saxophone players who are interested in playing funky,” he says humbly. “I’ve influenced a few.”

Raised in a musical family, Parker was studying at the University of South Carolina when he was hired by James Brown. The soul great had first been impressed by Maceo’s brother, Melvin Parker, a drummer who was offered a job once he completed college.

“The night he met my brother, he said, ‘When you’re not a student I’d love to have you play with me.’ About a year later we decided to get out of school. We met him in Greensborough, and the first thing James Brown said to me was, ‘Do you play baritone sax?’ I knew you could answer the question negatively or positively. If I said no, he would forget about me so I had to say yes to whatever he asked. At the time tenor sax was my major, but I said, ‘Yes sir.’ Then he said, ‘Do you own a baritone sax?’ ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Then you can have a job.’ We were very proud that night, two people from the same family about to join James Brown. We were both overwhelmed.”

Read the full article here

Maceo Parker Brings His Own Brand of Cool

IMN

January 10th, 2012

from Metro Active

Maceo Parker Brings His Own Brand of Cool
by Steve Palopoli

Maceo Parker has played with some of the most iconic and eccentric personalities in music history. As James Brown’s sax man, he helped write the rules of modern R&B. As the musical director of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic, he led a sonic revolution in the ’70s. As part of Prince’s band, he’s helped him become one of the most in-demand live acts of this century. He’s worked on projects with everyone from Keith Richards to Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction.

The question is: how does he do it? How does he collaborate with pop’s oversized personalities without setting off a war of egos?

Duh, he’s Maceo.

“I’m easygoing,” said Parker by phone after winding up his extended New Year’s Eve duties. “I’ve got a real long, long, long, long chain before you get me out of my thing. I’m just one of those guys, I’ll open the door for you, you can go in the elevator first. If there’s a long line of cars, I’ll stop and let you in. I just do that.”

If Parker’s cool runs deep, it has also spread wide. “One of the things I never envisioned really is so many parents naming their kids Maceo,” he says. “Man, all over the world, I’m telling you. It’s crazy, really crazy. There was one time I had three little Maceos on stage. One of the left side of the stage, one in the center, one on the right. None of them knew each other, but they were all Maceo because of me.”

Parker has been recording with his own various bands off and on since the early 70s, winning a “Jammie” for Best Jazz Album in 2009 for his most recent album, the Ray Charles tribute Roots & Grooves.

When he comes to Montalvo in Saratoga on Wednesday, he brings a reputation for transcendent live shows that can stretch on for hours. He’s so known for epic partying he had to do four straight nights through New Year’s Eve last month, at Yoshi’s in San Francisco.

Read the full article here

Maceo Parker Delivers His Own Funk

IMN

January 8th, 2012

Maceo Parker steps away from the legends, delivers his own funk
by Rich Freedman

He’s played with James Brown. With Prince. And George Clinton. Opened for Ray Charles.

Legends, sure. But Maceo Parker isn’t about to change for anyone. He’s not stubborn. He just knows his talent. And when it comes to playing, his website perhaps says it best: Parker’s the funkiest saxophonist on the planet.

“Wherever I go, what I bring is what I bring,” Parker said. “I am who I am and play what I play. Anybody who’s heard me knows. Wherever I go, I take Maceo with me. My style is no different wherever I go.”

Parker, a 58-year-old Valentine’s Day baby, brings his funk to the wine country on Tuesday with an 8 p.m. concert at the Napa Valley Opera House. After a pit-stop the next night at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, it’s off to Hawaii and France.

His horn has taken him around the world and Parker is grateful. And he’s grateful he has had a big hand in his own destiny, relying on hard work and staying true to himself.

It goes back to college at A&T Greensboro when he heard an instructor talking to another student, “Well, you know you’re not going to get the job unless I recommend you.”

Parker kept thinking about that. And he didn’t want one man’s recommendation determine his future.

“I didn’t want to stand on the sidelines until someone points a finger,” Parker said. “I just wanted to play, travel and see the world and take music to the people.”

And that is what he’s done.

“I had no idea it would turn out the way it is,”

Read full article here

REVIEW: Maceo Parker and Prince at Metro Centre

IMN

December 1st, 2011

from The Chronicle Herald
By Stephen Cooke

Prince Delivers Stunning Performance

Power of purple one packs Metro Centre

Sad to say, concerts at the Halifax Metro Centre just won’t look or feel the same after witnessing a devastating performance by Prince on Wednesday night.

Shows that are packed to the rafters are few and far between these days, but the power of the purple one drew roughly 10,000 attendees from near and far to shake their collective booty for over two hours.

‘This is the best place on earth right now!’ exclaimed the Minneapolis soul man, clad in black flares and an embroidered vest, with his face and hair sparkling with glitter. Frankly, who could argue that point? Then he took it to the next level, introducing ‘the baddest man in show business,’ Maceo Parker. The same Maceo Parker who played sax on some of the greatest funk records of all time by James Brown and the Parliament-Funkadelic crew. This was going to be epic.

Parker’s stacatto phrases — the same ones sampled by Public Enemy and De La Soul in the halcyon days of hip hop — settled right into the groove, and kept on going as the band shifted into K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s Get Down Tonight. They also inspired Prince to get down, as he sashayed down the catwalk to the stage’s arrow tip to do the good foot, swivel his hips, and shake his butt, to the delight of those in the front row.

‘Everybody jump up and down!’ he commanded to the beat of Housequake, and as one we all did his bidding. Resistance was useless. ‘Halifax, we are here!’ Yeah, and about time too.

Read the full article here

Maceo Parker Joins Prince's Canadian Tour

IMN

November 28th, 2011

Prince has kicked-off an 11-day cross-country concert tour dubbed Welcome 2 Canada. Following on the heels of his successful Welcome 2 America run, the tour began on Friday night with the first of two shows at the Air Canada Centre. The three hour performance featured an impressive six encores.

Prince has invited saxophone titan Maceo Parker to join him onstage at the following performances:

Halifax Nova Scotia, Halifax Metro Centre, Wednesday November 30th 2011
Montreal Quebec, Bell Centre, Friday December 2nd 2011
Ottawa Ontario, Scotiabank Place, Saturday December 3rd 2011
London Ontario, John Labatt Centre , Monday December 5th 2011
Winnipeg Manitoba, MTS Centre, Thursday December 8th 2011
Edmonton Alberta, Rexhall Place, Tuesday December 13th 2011
Calgary Alberta, Scotiabank Saddledome,Wednesday December 14th 2011
Vancouver BC, Rogers Arena, Friday December 16th 2011
Victoria BC, Save On Foods Centre, Saturday December 17th 2011
Tacoma Dome ,Tacoma WA Monday December 19th.

REVIEW: Maceo Parker Keeps Things Warm at The Montreal Jazz Festival

IMN

November 1st, 2011

from Jazz Times

The Montreal Jazz Festival: Jazz All Year Round
SFJAZZ Collective, Ari Hoenig and Maceo Parker keep things warm up north
By Sharonne Cohen

Maceo Parker: Funk All the Way

“Is this a jazz festival?” asked Maceo Parker as he greeted a hyped crowd at the jam-packed L’Astral. “Two percent!” yelled back an audience member. “Well, we’re gonna play 2 percent jazz, and 98 percent funk!” promised Parker, and that’s exactly what he delivered: nearly two hours of unbridled, booty-shaking funk. Nothing could have made this adoring audience—a mix of 20-somethings, 60-somethings and everything in between—any happier. They were there for the funk.

Montreal’s own DJ extraordinaire, Andy Couchman, opened for Parker with a set of choice funk and soul nuggets; Maceo soon followed, with a youthful energy far exceeding his 68 years. He was accompanied both by veterans (Rodney “Skeet” Curtis on bass; William Boulware on keys; Bruno Speight on guitar) and young cats (nephew Marcus Parker on drums, and trumpeter Lee Hogans, who was mostly responsible for the 2 percent). Parker delivered some vintage funk, including the James Brown classics “Make it Funky” and “Pass the Peas,” sprinkling a bit of “Some Enchanted Evening” in between. In what was the evening’s highlight, backup singer Martha High of the James Brown Band killed Lyn Collins’ ’70s classic “Think (About It),” her vocals as strong as ever. Towards the end of the show Parker channeled Ray Charles—dark sunglasses, body swaying side to side—and sang a verse of “You Don’t Know Me,” melting the audience before bringing the funk back. “We love you! We love love! We love to love!” called the funk master, and the crowd loved him back.

Read the full article here

Maceo Parker Inducted to North Carolina Music Hall of Fame

IMN

October 13th, 2011

from North Carolina Music Hall of Fame

Maceo Parker was the saxophonist in the groups that laid down the foundation of funk, rap and hip hop. He attended college in North Carolina but graduated from the University of James Brown. When he was on James Brown’s funky soul funk train James could be heard saying “Maceo, I want you to Blow!” when it came time for a solo. This band was the early pioneer of modern funk and hip-hop.

Maceo also played with another pioneer of funk, rap and hip hop: George Clinton and Parliament-Funcadelic as well as Bootsy Collins and Prince.

Maceo Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina on February 14, 1943. In 1964 Maceo was studying music in college when James Brown stopped at a club where Maceo’s brother, Melvin was drumming. Brown offered Melvin a job and, a year later, Melvin took that job—after telling Brown that his brother Maceo played sax and needed a job. James asked Maceo if he owned a baritone sax; Maceo replied “yes” and then went out and bought one.

Read the full article here:http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/inductee-maceo-parker/

REVIEW: Maceo Parker at College of St. Rose’s

IMN

September 30th, 2011

from Nippertown.com

LIVE: Maceo Parker @ the College of St. Rose’s Massry Center, 9/23/11

Maceo Parker’s appearance at Massry Center started 15 minutes late. I’d ascribed that to a serious amount of walk-up action at the box office, and that did happen. The real reason, though, was trumpeter Lee Hogans and backup vocalist/Maceo’s son Corey Parker were driving to the gig from Philadelphia, where their flight had been diverted due to bad weather. But even though Maceo was playing short-handed, that wasn’t going to stop the former James Brown sideman from funking up the Massry Center.

After a terrific introduction from nephew/monster drummer Marcus Parker and a short warm-up from what remained of the band, Maceo got himself a standing ovation just by walking on stage. Decked out in a grey suit with black shirt and tie, Parker put his alto sax to his lips and gave us what only can be described as a musical review of his resume: He blasted us with a taste of his sax skills, did a dead-on version of Brown’s iconic dance shuffle, sang a couple of bars of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, and went right back to blowing the house down. He also trotted out a sample of “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)”, reminding us that Parker was also part of Parliament/Funkadelic, arguably the greatest funk band in the universe. His sample included a wordless vocalization he credited to P-Funk mastermind George Clinton. “I don’t know what it means,” he admitted, arms out to his sides, but his grin said he sure liked it.

Although this band plays on the jazz festival circuit, Parker wanted to make it clear that jazz was “not what we do.” Then he demonstrated what it was he “does not do” — first by vocalizing a stereotypical jazz figure, and then doing a hilarious impression (complete with bird-like head-bobbing) of every Charlie Parker wannabe you’ve ever wanted to hit in the head with a frying pan. The impression got a great assist from keyboardist Will Boulwere, who was Parker’s willing foil when he wasn’t churning out spicy organ and Fender Rhodes solo. Parker asked us all night long to give the band some love, but his affection for Boulwere as a player and a person was more than evident.

Read the full review here

The Foundations of Funk: Maceo Parker and Christian McBride, May 22 at Orchestra Hall

IMN

May 19th, 2011

From Jazz Police

The Foundations of Funk: Maceo Parker and Christian McBride, May 22 at Orchestra Hall
By Andrea Canter

It’s a night billed as “funktastic!” On May 22 (7:30 pm) at Minnesota Orchestra Hall, the “Funk Titan” saxophonist Maceo Parker shares the stage with jazz bass virtuoso Christian McBride. Each brings along an ensemble of like-minded musicians for a memorable, soulful evening.

The name “Maceo Parker” has come to be synonymous with “funk.” His first mentor was his uncle who led a local band (The Blue Notes) in Maceo’s native North Carolina. With his two brothers, Maceo first played in the Junior Blue Notes; as a sixth grader, he was playing between his uncle’s nightclub sets. Inspired by David Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford, Cannonball Adderley and King Curtis, Maceo already had his own style on tenor by age 15. But he owes his first big gig with James Brown to brother Melvin. When the brothers were studying music in college in North Carolina, it was Melvin’s drumming that caught the attention of Brown, who was also seeking a bari sax player. Maceo quickly found a bari, and that was the beginning of a 20-year association with the Godfather of Soul. With Brown, Parker developed his signature funk style.

During the 70s, Parker worked with Bootsy Collins, George Clinton and editions, Funkadelic, Parliament and Mothership as well as continuing his relationship with James Brown. By 1990 he was focusing more on his own projects, releasing solo albums Roots Revisited and Mo’ Roots before his ground-breaking Life on Planet Groove (1992) which prompted his motto, “2% jazz, 98% funky stuff.” Now a touring headliner, Parker was known internationally for shows going more than three hours. He has also toured with Prince since 1999. Other collaborations have included Ray Charles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ani DiFranco and James Taylor, and projects with the WDR Big Band, including tributes to Ray Charles. In 2003 he was recognized for his contributions to R&B with the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

To read more click here

REVIEW: Maceo Parker

IMN

April 20th, 2011

from Culture By The Coast

Review: Maceo Parker
by Asher

As I approached Campbell Hall, I knew that I was in for a treat. Clusters of excited fans gathered at the steps to the lecture hall, clasping their tickets and engaging in animated chatter about the upcoming performance. Settling into my seat, I soon realized that I was surrounded by not only fans, but by a wide array of accomplished musicians. Behind me sat a man who was an electronic/hip hop music producer who had just completed a music archive project that intersected environmental sustainability with the soundtrack of old-school funk and jazz. In front of me was a married couple of classical concert pianists who exchanged tender murmurs of excitement as the lights came down.

“He’s the real thing,” they whispered. And then it started. Coming on stage, with a personality that filled up the lecture hall of 860 seats to the brim. The epitome of cool, he danced and jived all through the set and when he played his infamous instrument of choice, the seductive and powerful sax, there was no one in the lecture hall who wasn’t moving right along. It was time, as he said, to get funky. Every solo elicited a holler from the audience members, every little dance a grin. The performance was like nothing I had ever seen. More than two hours of pure, unadulterated music (and don’t let Maceo Parker hear you call it your mama’s jazz!). This was prime, old-school, full-throttle funk.

Fresh off a tour that has taken him everywhere from Moscow to San Francisco, Maceo Parker has been keeping funk alive for over twenty years, collaborating with a diverse set of artists such as Ray Charles, Dave Matthews, and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Weaving in songs and riffs from classic motown, R&B and soul, Parker demonstrated the absolute breadth and musical aptitude that he can incorporate into this established genre. This sentiment was only amplified by the immensely talented musicians that he surrounded himself with on stage (which he introduced with James Brown-esque zest and humor). A throwback to the glory days of funk and a harbinger of the many golden days to come, it reminds us that his catchphrase of “2% jazz, 98% funk” still rings true. And that’s 100% okay with me.

Read the full article and see video here

REVIEW: Maceo Parker at Campbell Hall

IMN

April 19th, 2011

from JamBase.com

REVIEW: Maceo Parker
04.17.11 :Campbell Hall, UCSB : Santa Barbara, CA
by L. Paul Mann

Maceo Parker made it clear early on in his set at UCSB on a sleepy Sunday night that he plays funk music not jazz. In witty banter with the audience, he jokingly said, “I love jazz, especially when I am reading a book or washing a car.” Then to accentuate his point, the feisty saxophone player launched into a soft jazz duet with his brilliant piano player Will Boulware, which he interrupted with the quip, “We don’t do that. We do this,” as he led his group into James Brown’s classic “Make It Funky.” The phenomenal band included Parker and Boulware, as well as a who’s who of funk music mavens, including Rodney Skeet Curtis (bass player of Parliament Funkadelic fame), Bruno Speight on guitar, Markus Parker (Maceo’s nephew), on drums, Ron Tooley (James Brown’s trumpet player), Dennis Rollins (Considered to be one of the best UK trombone players), and vocalist Martha High (also from the James Brown Band). Maceo Parker, himself had a long association with the James Brown band, playing in the group during some of their most productive years. He also played with the other grandmaster of funk music, George Clinton, in his former band Parliament-Funkadelic.

Parker led his red hot group of musicians through nearly three hours of blazing funk music over two long sets. The salacious singer shined brightest when playing his saxophone. At one point, he did a solo spotlight, going out into the audience and blowing notes up and down the aisles, mesmerizing fans in their seats. And all of the band’s illustrious players also had a chance to showcase their talents with dynamic solos.

Parker had fans dancing in the aisles early on in the first set, uncharacteristic of the normally regimented UCSB Campbell Hall. The Funkmesiter won over the crowd with his charm and wit, offering humorous storytelling and a witty history of funk music from start to finish. At one point, Parker put on some sunglasses and mimicked Ray Charles while singing “You Don’t Know Me.”

By the time Parker and the band launched into a frenzied finale, a medley including “Pass The Peas,” “Soul Power” and “Sex Machine,” nearly everyone in the audience was fanatically dancing about the venue. Maceo Parker continues to keep funk alive for a whole new generation.

Read the full article here