MACEO PARKER

Funk Jazz / Soul Jazz / RnB / Jazz Related Soundtracks • United States
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Maceo Parker (born February 14, 1943) is a noted African-American funk and soul jazz saxophone player, best known for his contributions to James Brown's distinct sound. He was born in Kinston, North Carolina in a musically-rich environment. His mother and father sang in a church and both his brothers are accomplished musicians (drums and trombones).

He and his brother, Melvin Parker, joined James Brown in 1964; in his book Brown says that he originally wanted Melvin as his drummer but agreed to take Maceo under his wing as part of the deal. Maceo, Melvin and a few of Brown's band members left to found Maceo & All the Kings Men which toured for two years. In 1973 Maceo returned to James Brown's band. In 1975 Maceo and some of Brown's band members, including Fred Wesley, left to join George Clinton's Parliament.

Maceo once again joined James Brown from 1984 to
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MACEO PARKER Discography

MACEO PARKER albums / top albums

MACEO PARKER Doing Their Own Thing album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Doing Their Own Thing
Funk Jazz 1970
MACEO PARKER Funky Music Machine album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Funky Music Machine
Funk Jazz 1972
MACEO PARKER US album cover 4.00 | 3 ratings
US
Funk Jazz 1974
MACEO PARKER Roots Revisited album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Roots Revisited
Soul Jazz 1990
MACEO PARKER Mo' Roots album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Mo' Roots
Funk Jazz 1990
MACEO PARKER Horn Riffs For DJs (with Fred Wesley) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Horn Riffs For DJs (with Fred Wesley)
Funk Jazz 1992
MACEO PARKER Horn Riffs For DJs Volume 2 (with Fred Wesley) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Horn Riffs For DJs Volume 2 (with Fred Wesley)
Funk Jazz 1993
MACEO PARKER Southern Exposure album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Southern Exposure
Funk Jazz 1993
MACEO PARKER Maceo (Soundtrack) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Maceo (Soundtrack)
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1994
MACEO PARKER Funkoverload album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Funkoverload
Funk Jazz 1998
MACEO PARKER Dial: Maceo album cover 4.25 | 2 ratings
Dial: Maceo
Funk Jazz 2000
MACEO PARKER Made by Maceo album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Made by Maceo
Funk Jazz 2003
MACEO PARKER School's In album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
School's In
Funk Jazz 2005
MACEO PARKER It's All About Love album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
It's All About Love
RnB 2018
MACEO PARKER Life On Planet Groove - Revisited album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Life On Planet Groove - Revisited
Funk Jazz 2018
MACEO PARKER Soul Food – Cooking with Maceo album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Soul Food – Cooking with Maceo
Funk Jazz 2020

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MACEO PARKER live albums

MACEO PARKER Life on Planet Groove album cover 4.00 | 1 ratings
Life on Planet Groove
Funk Jazz 1992
MACEO PARKER Funkoverload album cover 4.00 | 1 ratings
Funkoverload
Funk Jazz 1998
MACEO PARKER Roots & Grooves album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Roots & Grooves
Funk Jazz 2007
MACEO PARKER Live In Funky Good Time album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live In Funky Good Time
Funk Jazz 2008
MACEO PARKER Soul Classics album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Soul Classics
Funk Jazz 2012
MACEO PARKER Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Roots Revisited: The Bremen Concert
Funk Jazz 2015

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.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
My First Name Is Maceo
Funk Jazz 2004

MACEO PARKER Reviews

MACEO PARKER US

Album · 1974 · Funk Jazz
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
js
One of the most talented saxophone players to not work in the world of jazz, Maceo Parker, instead found his fame as the best horn player in the world of funk and RnB for several decades. Working with top stars in the business, such as James Brown and George Clinton, Maceo became a well known name on many famous hits as both Brown and Clinton were liable to shout out his name in the middle of a jam so that Maceo would step forth and deliver a fiery solo. In the early 70s, Maceo took a break from Brown’s band and recorded some RnB/jazz crossover albums on his own. Although Brown did not contribute to Maceo’s first couple records, on 1973’s “US”, Brown’s voice and direction are a big part of the funky proceedings.

The first two cuts on “US” are re-mixes of two well known James Brown hits. The first one is “Soul Power”, re-mixed to feature much more soloing from Maceo, and a track called “Party”, which sounds like its based on an extended jam of “Hot Pants”, once again re-mixed with added saxophone solos. These two cuts are the best on the album and hold up well against anything James Brown and his crew recorded while they were smoking hot in the early 70s. Side one finishes out with a couple of laid back disco-jazz numbers orchestrated by Fred Wesley. Although these two tracks aren’t as hot as the openers, their early 70s kitsch arrangements with the wah wah guitar, synthesizer, female backing vocals, incidental strings and double-time conga drums makes for some excellent early 70s time capsule atmosphere.

Side two continues with more of Fred Wesley’s orchestrations, but this time things are much hotter as the band flies through an up-tempo version of Chicago’s “I Can Play for (Just You and Me)”, and a re-recording of a James Brown funk classic, “Doing it to Death”. The album closes with a lengthy ballad called “The Soul of a Black Man”, on which James lays down a rap about Maceo’s integrity and the African-American experience in the USA. This cut is recorded live in front of a small audience and features a long Maceo solo backed by some one (possibly James Brown), improvising string arrangements on a Mellotron.

The final score card for “US” reads; three very funky jams, plus three suave proto smooth jazz numbers and one power ballad makes for an excellent record for fans of that early 70s funk/jazz/RnB vibe.

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