Live Show Review: Maceo Parker at Jazz Alley

If you live in Seattle, I’d like to apologize up front for the feelings of despair and depression that you will surely feel at the end of this article. You see, you missed legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker performing with his exceedingly stellar band at Jazz Alley this past weekend.

A quick history: James Brown, George Clinton / Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, Prince. These artists have all chosen Maceo as their side man, leading the horn sections and defining the sound for many funky songs you’re very familiar with (such as “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good)”). James Brown can be heard in many recordings shouting “Maceo, I want you to Blow!” He is a giant of the saxophone.

At 71, Maceo is still a consummate performer. He and his super-tight band — Dennis Rollins on trombone, Will Boulware on keyboards, Bruno Speight on guitar, Rodney “Skeet” Curtis on bass, Marcus Parker (son of Maceo’s brother and long-time drumming partner Melvin) on drums, Martha High singing backup and Darliene Parker (Maceo’s cousin) singing backup as well — brought a rare form of magic to the stage, that kind of magic that lifts you up and makes you smile uncontrollably. These people were born to be on the stage, performing for us. And they are enjoying the hell out of it, playing off of each other, joking, having so much fun that you can’t help but be roped in. It is equal parts endearing and exciting in its execution; you wish you enjoyed your job half as much as this group clearly does.

Maceo is in the midst of a world tour in support of his recent memoir, 98% Funky Stuff: My Life In Music. During the show, he gave us a touch of his history before and in the music industry. In school, he thought he was destined to be an instructor, training others for musical greatness, “but staying in the same place is not who I am.”

The band paid tribute to many of Maceo’s former musical partners and idols, performing old school funk hits like James Brown’s “Make It Funky,” pop hits like “Stand By Me” (led by Maceo’s cousin Darlene Parker), and even a new version of “It Takes Two,” led by backup singer Martha High, who, not incidentally, also performed for many years with James Brown. High’s version of “It Takes Two” was a funky, Aretha Franklin-esque explosion of the original “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins (recognized by another generation for being sampled in the Rob Base/DJ E-Z Rock hit “It Takes Two”) — and she slayed.

Actually, the entire band slayed. Each person was given an opportunity to strut their stuff, with at least one if not more opportunities for a solo performance showcasing each of their outstanding talents. Overall, the band played for 2 solid hours, exhausting themselves as well as the audience. Having performed a set earlier in the evening (the band played 6 shows in 4 days), they showed no signs of slowing throughout the set, renewed by their own love of performing. While being the big name draw himself, Maceo was all about recognizing everyone in the band as well. “WHAT ABOUT THE BAND?” he’d say, throughout the set, amping the crowd up to show our appreciation of everyone, many many times.

This was one of those performances that I’ll remember all my life. An intimate dinner theater / jazz club setting, with delicious food and drink, and even stronger musical entertainment. It was the first time I’d been to Jazz Alley, and based on this performance I’ll be watching their calendar closely for any opportunity I can to get back there. You should do the same.