Maceo, blow your horn!
Godfather's former right hand blasts through town
URBAN GROOVE PREVIEW
The Godfather of Funk’s former right hand is in town this week for an all-out assault on your funky autumn senses, helping you to get on the proverbial good foot. Alto sax player Maceo Parker, once part of the backbone of the James Brown Band – and Prince's bandleader on His Purpleness's last tour – is set to play MacEwan Hall on Friday, September 6.
The man who added nitro to seminal Brown tracks such as "Soul Power," "Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You" also cut supercharged solo albums in the ’70s and is a definite must-see for funk fans.
Parker's solo work in the ’90s has brought organic funk back to the mainstream, and without a doubt he remains one of the last living and practicing troubadours of this genre. In the quasi-hipster lingo of the Much Music generation, he is the living embodiment of "old school" (forgive me). In truth, he predates "old school," so does this put him in the special "preschool" category?
Parker’s list of accomplishments reads like an encyclopedia of funk, but I've narrowed it down to three reasons that you should see him. (Please note, Maceo's publicist told Fast Forward that he was "too busy in the studio" to do an interview. In essence, we was jacked, but in the interest of culture, we’ll still provide the goods.)
Now, about those three reasons: 1. It’s Maceo Parker. 2. It’s Maceo Parker! 3. It’s Maceo friggin’ Parker! Got the idea yet? While his chops may have aged, he can do the one thing that James Brown failed to do last year – put on one hell of a live jam. Without a doubt, there will be smiles pasted to the faces of everyone in attendance. When so many overhyped events fail to deliver, this should be a welcome refresher course on how to have a good time.
DELIRIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL
On an unrelated note, Nordic Trax producer Jon Delerious is back from a three-month tour of Europe that included him headlining a night in Montpelier, France. Playing before a crowd of 2,500 well-attired deep house fans, Delerious found the show an eye-opener.
"The thing that surprised me is the kind of people that come out to the nights there, any night of the week you have an option of something really good and varied and there’s older people there who come out, it’s such a difference," Delerious says.
What’s the result, then, of three months in nightclub utopia? Not only did he ink a distribution deal with Exun, the new label run by famed German house producer Linus, but he has been asked to make a full-length for Nordic Trax, which is slated for release in the first half of 2003. He also wants to bring the European vibe back home.
"I want to try and spark that interest in Calgary, get people excited about hearing something more than…."
He pauses, and I interject with "Nickelback?"
Laughing, he concludes, "Yeah, something like that."
Until his own record comes out, Delerious will help promote Nordic Trax in Calgary as they will be releasing an album of downtempo early this fall. He will also be back at Fluid Fridays at Shadow nightclub, where the focus will remain on deep house.
"And nothing but," Delerious says. "I’ve got some ideas and I’ll definitely bring them home to the night. Things can be done differently." |
