Maceo channels godfather of soul

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)Jackson Hole, Wyo.-James Brown was right on: Maceo can blow it up.At 68-years-young, Maceo Parker is as pure of an entertainer as it gets. Beginning in 1964, Parker’s distinctive, in-the-pocket style was a big part of Brown’s revolutionary sound for the better part of two decades. Those fancy horn tricks on “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” – that’s Parker. He coins his own sound as “two percent jazz and ninety-eight percent funky,” and that’s because it’s meant to be a dance party, not a sit-down show.During an interview with JH Weekly leading up to a sold-out show at the Knotty Pine in June of 2008, Parker became the first and only interviewee to sing a tune for me over the phone. It was Ray Charles’s “That Lucky Old Sun.” I felt that same charisma and energy continuously flowing through a seamless two-and-a-half hour set at the Knotty. I couldn’t help but think about my parents, and how they were the same age. It just didn’t compute.Also in the spirit of Brown, Parker’s show includes vocal grunts and yelps around punchy horn arrangements. Songs seem to flow right in and out of one another, not giving the crowd even a moment to catch its breath.“My take on funky is like a meter, it’s funky or it’s not,” Parker explained in 2008. “If it was funky 50 years ago, it’s going to be funky 50 years from now. Funk has no inhibition. It’s loud and has an element to me that says ‘party, party, party … get your dance on, wave your hands and have a good time, about this moment—right now.’”In the mid-70s, Parker hooked up with Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, George Clinton and the various incarnations of Funkadelic and Parliament. At that point, he had worked with the figureheads of funk music at the height of their success. And after re-joining Brown’s band for another stint in the mid-80s, it was time to launch his solo career. Twenty years after releasing his first of 10 solo albums, he’s known as much for his own marathon funk parties as any of his previous projects.“We are trying to provide this kind of groove and you can see it on the faces in the audience,” Parker said. “It’s mirrored … it hits them and bounces back. This is a special moment when life is great—that’s what we try to provide for people.”Parker grew up admiring saxophonists such as David “Fathead” Newman, Hank Crawford, Cannonball Adderley and King Curtis. He was crazy about Ray Charles, his band, and particularly, the horn players. By the age of 15, Parker had forged his own style on the tenor sax. It was his uncle and front man for local band, The Blue Notes, who would became his first musical mentor.The three Parker brothers—which also included Melvin (drums) and Kellis (trombone)—formed the Junior Blue Notes and would perform in between sets at his uncle’s nightclub engagements. Most recently, Parker has been touring with none other than Prince. It’s not often that this school of music comes around. “Legendary” comes to mind. Take advantage.Maceo Parker and the “tightest little funk orchestra on Earth” will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, at the Center Theater. Reserved seating is $35/$25, available at JHCenterForTheArts.org or by calling 733-4900. tags: jackson hole show music musician live band singer songwriter nightlife concerts wyoming center arts photographer planet teton venues screen door porch boondocks guitar