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Taken from Daily Record (Aug 10, 2018)
Maceo still makes it funky, with love
Maceo Parker at Newton Theatre
by Bill Nutt, Correspondent
Maceo Parker will mix funk music with a message of love when he and his band play the Newton Theatre on Friday, August 10. Parker first made an impact by playing saxophone with James Brown in the 1960s. Image-Credit: Boris Breuer |
"Maceo, blow your horn!"
During his legendary live shows, James Brown would exhort his saxophonist, Maceo Parker, with that injunction.
More than 50 years after they began collaborating, Parker is still following Brown's famous command. One of the most respected sax players in funk, Parker has distinguished himself as both a sideman and a band leader in his own right.
"I get to do what I love," said Parker. "Everything I do is all about love. Love is what I'm into. It's better to make other people smile than to make them frown."
Parker will bring his music and his message of love to the Newton Theatre on Friday, August 10.
"We play the funky stuff, the danceable stuff," said Parker. "But in between, we shout out, 'We love you!' We make it into a chant, with everyone joining in."
Parker said that he was born with love in his heart. He delightedly pointed out that his birthday is February 14 - Valentine's Day. (The North Carolina native turned 75 this year.) "Isn't that perfect?" he asked with a laugh.
He came from a musical family. "I had a brother in front of me who played trombone and a brother behind me who played drums," he said. "I had a bunch of cousins who played other instruments."
Initially, Parker was drawn to the keyboard. "We had a piano in the house, and when I was two, I'd see people put pressure on the keys and sounds would come out. That was fascinating to me."
However, once he realized that he was one of the few boys in his part of North Carolina to take piano lessons, he decided to find another instrument. Seeing marching bands made him decide to take up the saxophone.
Initially, like many players, he sought to emulate the greats, such as Charlie Parker. But he gradually started to develop his own way of playing. Though the word "funk" was not yet in common use in the early 1960s, that was the sound he was making.
"It's all about the beat," said Parker. "It's the sound that makes you get up and dance. It's the sound of a party. It says, let's have a good time.
"I was hearing funky licks, funky patterns, and that became my style," Parker said. "That's when other people started saying, 'Oh, that guy has a style his own.'"
Parker's sound perfectly suited James Brown, with whom he played at different periods for more than 20 years. Parker later played with Parliament-Funkadelic, the musical collective overseen by George Clinton.
He also played with one of his musical idols, Ray Charles, in the 1990s. Coincidentally (or not), his first solo with Charles in concert was on the song "You Made Me Love You" - another "love" connection in his life.
All the artists with whom he has played has had an impact on Parker's own style as a bandleader. "James like to keep things going, keep it moving," Parker said. "I learned from him how to go from one tune to another.to another."
Clinton's sense of humor and freewheeling approach to music also made an impact. "George's feeling was that life ain't nothing but a party," Parker said. "But then he would go into a whole other language.
"I cherish the time I spent with James and George and Prince," Parker said. "I feel really lucky to be me and to be able to say that I worked with these people. But then I was lucky to evolve from being in a group to doing my own thing."
Parker approaches his concerts with missionary-like zeal. "I see a lot of negative stuff on the news," he said. "I'm trying to promote love. What does that mean? Do unto others. Show common courtesy. That's my contribution. Let's try to love more."
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