Concert
review
MACEO PARKER
(with Starr Cullars & The Enterprise)
At the TLA, Philly 9/27/00
 I arrived at the TLA late at 8:25pm to see Starr Cullars & The Enterprise already performing their set (they started at 8:10pm). "Let Your Starr Shine" was the first song I heard, followed by "Never Was Lover", a funky, smokin' bass riff song (thanks, Starr!) that included high-energy lead guitar riffs (by Lige Curry)!!! "Kosen Rufu" was the last song, featuring more pronounced bass plucking, a great lead guitar intro, and Shawn Hill's strong drumming towards the end. The only problem that I noticed was the low volume on the vocals during "Kosen Rufu". The Starr Cullars set ended at 8:45pm.
At 9:15pm, Maceo Parker's band started the OOH YEAH! show with the chant "Come on, Maceo!", featuring some strong keyboard riffs by Wil Boulware! "Uptown Up" was great with solos by Maceo Parker (saxophone), Greg Boyer (trombone), Ron Tooley (trumpet), Wil Boulware (keyboards), and Jamal Thomas (drums). The G. Boyer t'bone solo completely blew my mind, as if a lightning bolt struck my body! "Pass The Peas" was great, including the introduction to the "OOH YEAH!" show which featured a snippet of the Horny Horns's "We Came To Funk Ya"! Rodney "Skeet" Curtis's bass slapping was and still is PHENOMENAL!!!! "Shake Everything You Got" made every ass in the building do just that.....with some bass funkiness & extra-funky rhythm guitar by Bruno Spreight! Prince's "Baby Knows" continued the bass-funk extravangaza, and then it was time to slow down the pace, with Prince's "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold".....Maceo sounded great on sax! "Think (About It)" featured the legendary Martha High on lead vocals. "Doin' It To Death" continued the JB-funk with some mo' funky guitar, followed by Maceo flute solo! It was time for a slow tune..... (I can't recall the name of it), followed by the body-shakin' "Maceo's Groove" featuring Corey Parker on rap vocals........I don't care what everybody says, I think Corey is wonderful and adds to the energy of the show!! "Maceo's Groove" included a piece of "Tear The Roof Off The Sucka" (horn riffs by Greg, Ron and Maceo), the chant "The mothership connection is here", the Maceo introduction to "Aah...The Name is Bootsy, Baby", and "Stretchin' Out"!!! "Stretchin' Out" led into a funky horn ending with some wild drumming!!
My memory is a little hazy.......somewhere in the show, Sweet Charles Sherrell did the lead vocals to "Mustang Sally", with his usual high level of funkergy (funk and energy) and dance moves! Also, Maceo covered "My Baby Loves You" and "Rabbits in a Pea Patch".
For the encore, Maceo started with "The Closer I Get to You", with Ron Tooley doing an amazingly hot trumpet solo! "Got To Getcha" included "Elephant's Foot", as everyone in the audience was singing "I - got - to - getcha!!" "Cold Sweat" (incorporating Sweet Charles's excellent performance of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag") was the best song in the set.....it was SO heavy-duty funky (a real RUMPSHAKER). Wil's keyboardisms were so funky!! "Sing a Simple Song" was good, but "Work To Do" (originally by the Isley Brothers) was off-da-hook with some red-hot, fierce horn blowing, funky singing vocals by Corey & Sweet Charles!! "Let's Get It On" featured rap vocals by Corey! "Make It Funky" started out with a very quiet intro as Maceo whispered "Make it funky....make it funky"... the subdued funk lasted only a few minutes before the band went into full force.
The set ended at 12:40am.
-Dr. Brookenstein
Concert
Review
MACEO PARKER
Legends Nightclub, Victoria, BC, Canada Tuesday July 20th, 1999
written by Mike Theiss <mtheiss@ix.netcom.com>
Having spent a good portion of the last decade listening to CDs, LPs and cassettes of
Maceo's various recordings  as a bandleader and a
sideman, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Having seen Maceo perform in
concert a number of times in recent years, including two days prior to this show with the
same band opening for Ani DiFranco, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Though I
always know to expect musicianship of the highest caliber and great showmanship from
Maceo's entourage, this particular performance at Legends Nightclub in Victoria, BC struck
me as spectacular.
The core of Maceo's current ensemble has been touring with him for a few years now.
Jamal Thomas (drums), William Boulvare (organ) and Bruno Speight (guitar) have
all been with Maceo for 4 to 5 years. The tightness of this core rhythm section, coupled
with the recent addition of former Parliament/Funkadelic associates Rodney 'Skeet' Curtis
(bass) and Greg Boyer (trombone) make this band unstoppable. As if that band wouldn't
be enough, the soulful Sweet Charles Sherrell and Maceo's son Corey Parker were on hand to
contribute background vocals.
The group (minus Maceo) entered the stage around 10:15 PM to perform the traditional
prelude calling Maceo to the stage: "Come on Maceo! Come on Maceo!
Come on, come on, come on, come on, COME ON MACEO!" Shortly after, Maceo's
longtime manager Natasha Maddison came out to introduce Maceo.
After Maceo joined the stage, the group launched into "Uptown Up" from Maceo's
"Funk Overload" cd. The song, performed significantly faster than on the
recording, featured energetic solos from both Maceo and trombonist Greg Boyer, then
shifted to a mellow jazzy mood as the band cooled down for B3 player William Boulvare to
take a turn. After each of the solos, the horns traded 4's each improvising
briefly and passing the spotlight back and forth. At this early point in the show it
was evident that Greg and Maceo have a chemistry equal too, if not surpassing that which
Maceo had with former James Brown bandmates Fred Wesley and Alfred Pee Wee Ellis.
Boyer brings to the mix an approach to melodic improvisation less traditional in funk
music. Where Maceo will more often utilize a blues scale as the melodic foundation
for his solos, it's not uncommon for Greg to use phrases all over the chromatic scale with
more of an "out" sound. Since both have impeccable ears and a thorough knowledge
of their horns, the interchange was very inspiring, with a playfulness not unlike kids
playing the dozens on a street corner. While they weren't so much trying to outdo
each other, it was evident by the looks on their faces that they were challenging each
other, pushing each other into new territory, not to mention having fun at the same time.
After "Uptown Up" (an instrumental number) Maceo got on the mic to launch a
familiar James Brown classic. "Pass the Peas! Pass the Peas! Pass the Peas like
they used to say! The crowd went wild and the band reciprocated the
energy. Eventually the music stopped and the song seemed to be over, but the groove
continued as Maceo rapped about the "Oooh yeah show" in a long call and response
section.
The presence of bassist Rodney "Skeet" Curtis became more evident in the next
song "Southwick" AKA "Shake Everything You Got" where Skeet started
the song off with the bass line. It was so funky that shortly into the song
Maceo had Skeet start from the top so we could hear it over again!
If there is any single element that will make or break a funk band it's the lock between
the bass player and the drummer. In that respect, the combination of Rodney
"Skeet" Curtis and Jamal Thomas is as good as it gets.
Beyond Maceo's playing skills and the tightness of his band, what he also really knows how
to do well, is to work a crowd. While he is first and foremost known as a
saxophonist, he also spent much of his time with Mr. James Brown as the MC of the show.
I think most any musician will agree that they perform better when the crowd is
responsive, and when the musicians engage the crowd in the way that Maceo does, how could
the crowd NOT get into it? One song stands out in particular, as far as the way
Maceo drew the crowd into the performance. Preceding "Got to Getcha", Maceo was
singing acapella to the crowd and having us echo the riffs he sang. This went on for
quite some time and Maceo really had the crowd going. Then, he sang the
opening horn riff for "Got to Getcha" (4 fast hits and 2 slow hits).
After the crowd echoed the riff, he quickly cued the band to come in. It
was a brilliant segueway into the tune.
Then, later in the song he did another call and response line which some Maceo fans may
know as singing "the way that Fred sings it". Basically he sings "I
Got to Getcha" with the "I" extended for most of the bar before
singing "got to getcha", complete with parts of the crowd singing a harmony
part.
Other highlights of the show were "Doing it to Death" on which Maceo got out his
flute and performed the solo just like he did on the record some 26 years ago, a familiar
funk riff which Maceo kept getting on the organ to play and the performance of
"House Party". The band has worked up a great arrangement for the latter,
which starts with a guitar vamp similar to Funkadelic's "Let's Take It to the
Stage" goes into a horn riff of another P-Funk song (If I remember correctly,
it was "Give Up The Funk") and then of course into "House Party".
After throwing down for a good two hours, Maceo and Greg locked together on a particular
horn riff that featured a really low note. They then backed off their mics and
proceded to walk around the crowd, still playing their horns. After playing the riff
unamplified in the crowd for a minute, they went backstage, soon to be followed by the
rest of the band.
The crowd went wild for what seemed like nearly 7 to 10 minutes before the band finally
came out to close things properly (up until that point they hadn't played "Cold
Sweat" or "Soul Power"). The encore lasted about an hour to make the
complete show over 3 hours long.
Each of the band members got the spotlight for part of the show. All the
instrumentalists on stage had two or more extended solos. Sweet Charles led
"Mustang Sally" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and Corey Parker
rapped on a few tunes.
Included in the nights music were James Brown's "Make It Funky", Sly & The
Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song", Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It
On", Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry", and a sweet performance of the Hoagy
Carmichael penned "Georgia On My Mind". Also, the Maceo originals
"Maceo's Groove", "We're On the Move" and "Going In
Circles". They even played "Uptown Up" twice, the second time
was the slower arrangement, like on the "Funk Overload" CD.
Of course, seeing as how three of the eight band members are former P-Funk alumni it
wouldn't have been right not to have a few P-Funk jams in the mix! In addition
to the reference to "Let's Take It To the Stage" in the intro to "House
Party", the Soul Power medley included "Red Hot Mama", "Standing On
The Verge of Getting It On" and a segment of "Gamin' On Ya". The horns used
portions of a few different Bootsy songs at various points as well, including one of the
riffs from "Psyhoticbumpschool".
Overall, this is one of the best funk concerts I've ever been to, period. Part of the
greatness of this particular performance may have been due to the fact that the group had
been starved of their own audience for over a month prior to this show as they toured in
support of Ani Difranco. Her crowd showed appreciation, but they weren't
funkateers. And yes, I now know that there are funkateers in Canada too!!!
(Though I wouldn't have guessed it trying to shop for records in Victoria.) But with
this band, you can't go wrong wherever they play. Suffice to say, you don't
want to miss them if they come through your town.
P.F. Almost forgot. Not only DID they have a souvenir stand selling
t-shirts and CDs at the show, but this time they even had XL size shirts! So as George
Clinton says "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!"
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