When you think about FUNKY saxophone players there is one name that James Brown himself made world famous over the years…Maceo Parker.  Well last week Maceo and I did a hang here in Dallas for My Jazz Network…and what a hang it was!!! We spent the better part of the day together before his gig that night.

Maceo has just released a double CD set titled ROOTS and GROOVES that features the WDR big band and monster arrangements of Ray Charles tunes on one disc and his signature soul grooves on another.

His story is right out of a Hollywood movie…Maceo’s brother Melvin was gigging one night at a little club in North Carolina and James Brown came in for a post concert plate of food.  After listening to Melvin play the drums he offered him a job on the spot, problem was he was still attending college. Well after graduation some two years later Melvin saw that James Brown was coming back to North Carolina in concert so they jumped in a friend’s car and headed to the gig. They drove around the parking lot for hours not knowing what to expect, then they spied a limousine pulling up.

As James Brown stepped out of his limo Melvin and Maceo rushed forward to make an awkward introduction. James Brown stood back and said “I remember you brother…you still want the gig man?”  The brothers were speechless. “You start next week” announced James. Melvin was beside himself…and Maceo knew he too had to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity. “Mr. Brown I play sax” to which James replied “You play baritone?” “Ah…SURE” blurted out Melvin. “Son, you ever seen a baritone?” asked James. “No but I’ll GET ONE!” James looked him up and down and responded… “You start next week too then!”

Sometimes you just have to fake it…until you make it!
   
It was 1964 and the rest is history. Maceo stayed with James Brown for more than 10 years when the Godfather of Soul was at his absolute zenith.
     
Since then Maceo has gigged and recorded with Bootsy Collins and George Clinton’s Funkadelic (two more of my all time Funk favorites) James Taylor, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and dozens more.

To see Maceo and his group play at the House of Blues last week was incredible…his funk is his own…there’s just SOMETHING about the way he brings it that is undeniable. 

The ROOTS and GROOVES double CD is a virtuoso performance and at 65 years young Maceo is living the old James Brown lyric…”Papa’s got a brand new bag!”

You can hear tracks from Roots and Grooves along with hundreds more in the World Premiers Channel in the Smooth Jazz Section at www.myjazznetwork.com  check it out.

ALL PHOTOS BY INES KAISER

Stay tuned next week for more of Cameron’s Jazz Journals.

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