Maceo Parker, Tifft Merritt, Steve and Cindy, Tab Benoit
By Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., August 17, 2000) - Maceo Parker: Filling funk prescriptions

A host of superstar talent lends a hand to Maceo Parker on the funk bandleader’s latest album, “Dial Maceo,” including that other r&b legend, Prince. But what is perhaps most revealing is the identity of the others who help out, people like Sheryl Crow, James Taylor and Ani DiFranco, performers not typically associated with r&b.

It perhaps speaks to Parker’s crossover appeal in particular, and the attraction of his mainstream funk and r&b in general. It could also mean that Crow, Taylor, and DiFranco are actually a lot funkier than you think. In any case, the music on “Dial Maceo” is wide-ranging, from the Isley Brothers’s classic “I’ve Got Work to Do” to the Paul McCartney ballad, “My Love,” with plenty of original tunes. What ties it all together is a dollop of soul, a heavy dose of funk, and of course Parker’s saxophone - the instrument that blasted its way through so many hard-funk riffs by James Brown and George Clinton.

In an Eagle interview a few years back, Parker commented on his newfound friends and audience - what some have termed a “comeback.” “I’ve been making this kind of music all my life, so I don’t think of it as having been any place and coming back,” said Parker. Still, Parker is aware that younger fans are flocking to his shows, alongside like-minded, funk-jazz fusionists such as Medeski Martin and Wood, in numbers too great to ignore.

“I’m sure there’s quite a few people who listen to us now who really don’t know anything about the time I put in with James Brown,” said Parker. “All I know is I’m thankful and tickled to be working as much as we work, and to be appreciated by so many young people as we are.”

Parker joined Brown’s band in 1967, and stayed with the Godfather of Soul until 1988. During that time, he helped define Brown’s sound, as well as the role of the saxophone in funky soul music. Parker said his style was influenced by Ray Charles, as well as other saxophonists including Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, King Curtis and Stanley Turrentine. One thing that hasn’t changed over time, said Parker, is the music. “Basically, I’m doing the same thing I always did. If you want to dance or move from side to side or have a party-kind of atmosphere, then funky music kind of fits the groove,” he said, “and that’s what we’ve been doing from day one.

“If you’re ready to party, this is sort of like a remedy that the doctor would prescribe. We’ll fill that sort of prescription.” Parker will be handing out doses of funk to those in need tonight at 9 at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington (528-8418), where live music returns after a hiatus of several years.

Country-folk at Guthrie Center

This weekend the Guthrie Center presents two shows of country-flavored folk music, the first on Friday night by a performer who hopes to become as well known someday as the duo that follows on Saturday night.

Tift Merritt, of North Carolina, has a voice made for bluegrass, one of those high, reedy instruments shared by Nanci Griffith, Iris Dement and Stacey Earle. Her delicate twang has been recognized by No Depression magazine, the bible of alt-country music, which named her one of five “emerging insurgents.

On Saturday night, the venerable, husband-and-wife duo of Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen will make the drive down to Great Barrington from their home base in nearby Bennington, Vt., to entertain the crowd at the Guthrie. Mangsen and Gillette are well-known for their eclectic performances that mix original songs, traditional folk, stories and more than a bit of wry humor.

Mangsen is a triple instrumental threat, playing guitar, concertina and banjo. Her most recent album, “Songs of Experience” (Redwing), includes traditional folk songs from the U.S., Quebec, the West Indies and Sweden. Gillette boasts a body of original songs that have been recorded by the likes of Garth Brooks, John Denver, Nanci Griffith, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers and Linda Ronstadt. He is also the author of “Songwriting and the Creative Process.” His latest album, “Texas and Tennessee” (Redwing), features a selection of Gillette’s latest compositions, with a few old ones mixed in as well as a couple of cover tunes. Song topics range from childhood cowboy and Indian games to the assassination of President John Kennedy to psychology to the West Texas landscape. Both shows are at 8; call 445-6403.

Blues at Club Helsinki

It’s a blue weekend at Club Helsinki in Great Barrington, beginning tonight with Jonah Smith and Deluxe, continuing on Friday with Tab Benoit, and culminating on Saturday night with Big Al and the Heavyweights. Deluxe’s self-described “astral lounge funk” is a particularly funky, jazzy blend of blues, more akin to Steely Dan’s pop-jazz than your typical blues guitarslinger. In fact, the group doesn’t even feature a guitarist; the four musicians on the group’s EP, “Seems Like Yesterday,” play keyboards, bass, drums and tenor saxophone.

As heard on his most recent album, “These Blues Are All Mine” (Vanguard), Tab Benoit’s brand of blues is a decidedly Louisiana-influenced style. The singer/guitarist’s version of the classic “Crosscut Saw” smokes with New Orleans cross-rhythms, and the title track recalls Robert Cray’s steamy blues-balladry. The influence of the Cajun music he grew up with in rural Louisiana comes out on “Bayou Boogie” and a version of Hank Williams’s “Jambalaya.” Benoit pays tribute to his mentor, Albert Collins, on the blues master’s “Lights Are On, But Nobody’s Home” and “Don’t Lose Your Cool.” Big Al will continue the Louisiana flavor on Saturday night. The Heavyweights play a Mardi Gras-inflected mix of blues, obvious from the choice of recording titles (“Live Crawfish” and “Hey, Hey Mardi Gras”). The group’s song “Cajun Roux” was featured as pick of the week on Dan Aykroyd’s “House of Blues” radio show, and the band’s followers make up a cult of sort called “gumboheads.”
For more info, call 528-3394.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Aug. 17, 2000. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 2000. All rights reserved.]

Search by Artist Name Album Title