★★★★★
Is there a more famous phrase in music than "Maceo! Blow Your Horn"? "I wanna hold your hand" is right up there. I'd accept "All the single ladies," if you're looking for something more contemporary. Still, "Maceo! Blow Your Horn" rightfully earns its iconic status due to the icon who uttered the phrase, as well as to whom that legendary artist was referring. Saxophonist Maceo Parker is one of the most famous sidemen in the rock era...
- www.soultracks.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
Longtime James Brown horn foil Maceo Parker reanimates soul and funk tropes in this beautifully produced, rocking collection of tunes from the '60s and '70s. Backed by the supple WDR Big Band, this spirited collection is anything but archival. Not only does it showcase a sax master still at the top of his very fleet form, it's also a vivid reminder of a time when popular music still delivered melody as much as rhythm...
- jazztimes.com
2013-01-14
★★★★★
At almost 70 years of age, Maceo Parker is a bit of an American treasure. Sure, some may argue that he lucked his way into his position as James Brown's saxophone player in 1964--as the artist has said time and time again, the Godfather of Soul originally wanted his brother, Melvin, to join his band as a drummer, though agreed to take Maceo on as long as he could find his own baritone sax to play in Brown's touring band--but you certainly can't dispute how much work he put into taking full...
- www.popmatters.com
2012-11-26
★★★★★
Razor & Tie Jazz-funk saxophonist and long-time James Brown sideman Maceo Parker reconnected with Germany's acclaimed WDR Big Band last year to perform and record live versions of soul favorites by Brown and others. Parker, additionally joined by bass great Christian McBride and drummer Cora Coleman-Dunham, takes some well-traveled roads here...
- www.relix.com
2012-10-15
★★★★★
Saxman Maceo Parker's musical history is almost a direct parallel to the history of funk, the present of which he continues to contribute to. Parker landed a gig with the James Brown's band, the JBs, in 1964. His sax is an integral part of now legendary James Brown songs. In 1970, Parker left the JBs and formed Maceo & All The King's Men, a group that stayed together for a couple of years before Parker went back to the JBs...
- www.offbeat.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
If you'd downloaded this double CD from your favorite illicit site, you'd probably think it was the best 64 cents (for the two blank CDs) that you ever spent. As a live recording, this set captures some rare arrangements and flashes of magic, like a good bootleg is supposed to do. But as a full-fledged Maceo Parker release, it's still a good bootleg—a live show served straight-up with peaks, plateaus and eight-minute drum solo. It wasn't just any live show, however...
- www.offbeat.com
2010-11-02
★★★★★
Son of a bitch. What else do you call a guy willing to sabotage the futures and success of his children, the ones he helped bring in to the world, and the ones who presumably have the most to gain from his support? Of course, there are always two sides to every story, but I figure when the tale involves even a little of the supposed foul play this one does, somebody is going to come out dirty. So, what did the kids think of father, then? No, not father-- Godfather...
- pitchfork.com
2010-09-11
★★★★★
Maceo Parker Roots & Grooves Heads Up International 2007 In jazz, the term "swing" is used to describe that special "thing" that makes jazz jazz. Elusive to definition, swing may best be thought of as that physical propulsion providing the music momentum from one bar to the next. Or as critic Martin Williams wrote more poetically, "any two notes played in succession by (bassist) Paul Chambers." "Funk" is another word in jazz that is perhaps easier to demonstrate than define...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-08-20
★★★★★
Saxophonist Maceo Parker has a 45-year recording career built upon being the ultimate sideman, especially to James Brown. Parker's occasional solo releases have never changed that legacy, or even appeared to try to. Until now...
- www.jazztimes.com
2010-02-19
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