At
8:30pm, the Maceo Parker band started their set with a funky latin groove,
featuring Wil Boulware groovin' on the piano. "Off Da Hook" was a
perfect lesson in 2% jazz, 98% funky stuff...with red-hot slammin' solos by
saxophonist/leader Maceo Parker, keyboardist Wil Boulware, and bassist Skeet
Curtis....not to forget the extra-tight drumming intro to the song! "To Be
or Not to Be" was too funky, with Maceo doing a call-and-response with the
drummer (what is this guy's name?) Bruno Speight had a spot where he got into
some zeep (deeper than deep) rhythm guitar grooves! Actually, this was the same
song where band manager Natasha Maddison was invited to the stage to do a
Shakespearean soliliquy of "To Be or Not to Be"....HEY, I DIDN'T KNOW
THAT EDUCATION COULD BE THIS FUNKY! Maybe I would have paid more attention
to my literature classes in HIGH school, instead of getting HIGH! --
(Actually, that's a joke...Brookenstein never got high......but I'm testing
positive....for the funk!) "Gimme Some More" (the JB tune) was
another funk scorcher with a great trombone solo (what's the guy's name on
trombone?) and a reference to Bootsy Collins's "The Pinocchio
Theory"! After a ballad, it was time to go "Uptown Up"....FUNK
with a Capital "C" for Corey Parker, who laid down some RAP-a-licious
vocals over the potently funky stew....and the crowd ate every bit of it!! The
temperature was already 500 degrees or so, when the band added some more wood
to the scorching funk....this tune was the instrumental to Prince's "Baby
Knows", featuring backing vocals by Corey and Martha High...and
featuring.....(DRUMROLL, PLEASE) Bruno blazin' the place with some of the most
fierce lead guitar licks to ever come out of the Maceo Parker camp....this was
one hell of a solo (Prince would be smilin' right about now)!! "Doin' It
to Death" was just another log added to the fire....but it was gettin' so
hot that I had to leave, before I had the meltdown (the funk meltdown, that
is). So, I jetted around 10:00pm. I'm sure that Maceo probably played for
another 30 to 60 minutes....
Submit suggestions or comments to david.brooks@brookenstein.com