While James Brown is generally credited with redefining and re-energizing R&B and soul music in the 1960s, turning that revolutionary vision into a reality would not have been possible without the help of his creative collaborator, stage foil and right-hand man, saxophonist Maceo Parker. Like no other sax player before him, Parker stretched the potential of his instrument to unprecedented limits, exhibiting an uncanny ability to alternate the saxophone from a melodic instrument to a percussive one, and then back again, in the span of just a couple of beats, often less.
Four decades later, after recurring stints with Brown and funk titans George Clinton and Bootsy Collins in the ‘70s, and a solo career that has propelled him through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Parker’s skills are just as tight and precise as they were during those highly charged early days, and his creative audacity is equally undiminished.
For perhaps the first time, the breadth and scope of Parker’s musical prowess is fully realized on his latest release that positions him front and center in a fully orchestrated setting. Roots & Grooves unites this brilliant sax innovator with Germany’s renowned WDR Big Band. The album is both a tribute to R&B/soul legend Ray Charles and a showcase for Parker’s own fiery hybrid of R&B, soul and funk.
Without question, Parker’s body of work over the past four decades stands on its own merits, yet he sees the music as part of an even greater message. “At all my concerts, I try to say ‘love’ as many times as I can,” he says. “I think if we all use that word as much as we possibly can, the idea will flourish, and all that other negative stuff will diminish. So I’m definitely going to do what I think is my part by just showing the spirit of love throughout the world as much as I can.”