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Maceo Parker: School's In
ByParker was born in Kinston, North Carolina. His uncle, who headed a local band called the Blue Notes, was Parker's first musical mentor. Parker and two brothers then formed the Junior Blue Notes. That ensemble, performing some nightclub engagements, led James Brown to discover Parker and his brother, Melvin. Brown was so impressed by Melvin's drumming that he promised to give him a job, if the drummer refreshed his memory. Melvin did, and Brown hired the brothers. "Maceo, I want you to blow! became a staple of Brown's performances. Parker later worked with Clinton, Collins, and their various incarnations of Parliament and Funkadelic. In addition to his solo career, Parker has collaborated with such artists as Ray Charles, James Taylor, De La Soul, the Dave Matthews Band, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Parker is now a master of jazz-funk education. Complemented by the dynamic electric bass of Rodney "Skeet Curtis and a slick horn section, the saxman delivers a playful album of eight original songs, plus covers of "ABC and "What a Wonderful World. Vocalist Corey T. Parker joins the ensemble for "What You Know About Funk? With the leader's sax and the horn section adding exclamation points at the appropriate times, he raps, "If hip-hop were a tree, funk would be at its roots, and later says, "When you run up on this unit that care about the music and not the fame, who you gonna blame?
Tracks like "ABC and "To Be or Not to Be do have some light vocals, but the real lesson on these songs is the instrumental portion, led by Parker's sax. "ABC runs a little over eight minutes, giving him plenty of time to break down the lesson. If that is general study, "Speed Reading (It-si-bi-ya) is a pop quiz. The band really smokesnot in the boys' roomon this track. The song shifts gears at about the 3:40 mark, where the music slows and Parker utters, "School's out. Then, seconds later, he says, "The bell rang; school's back in, and the band kicks into overdrive. "Arts & Crafts is the jazziest track on the album. Featuring a solo by trombonist Greg Boyer, it's a moderately paced lesson on creativity.
In the liner notes, funky is defined as coming "from 'funk,' meaning happy music. That's what School's In is all about. A little bit of education about how funkparticularly how the bass was playedinfluenced today's hip-hop, but taught in a delightful manner. Indeed, Parker and his band make learning fun.
Track Listing
To Be or Not to Be; Basic Funk: 101; What You Know About Funk?; ABC; Song for My Teacher; Speed Reading (It-si-hi-ya); What a Wonderful World; Arts & Crafts; Advanced Funk; I
Personnel
Maceo Parker
saxophone, altoMaceo Parker: alto saxophone, vocals, percussion; Ron Tooley: trumpet; Greg Boyer: trombone; Morris Hayes: Hammond organ, keyboards; Bruno Speight: guitar; Rodney
Album information
Title: School's In | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: BHM Productions
Comments
About Maceo Parker
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
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