Sax Legend Maceo Parker’s New Release & 2008 Tour Schedule!!

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 in a new recording that positions him front and center in a fully orchestrated setting. Roots & Grooves (HUCD 3134), a two-disc set scheduled for release on Heads Up International on February 12, 2008, 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.

“I run out of words when I try to describe exactly how good and kid-like this project made me feel,” says Parker, who counts Charles among his earliest and most important influences. “I’m playing the same saxophone I always play, but it was like a whole new adventure for me to play with a big band. And it’s very rewarding to get the kind of feedback I’ve been getting from people about this project. We started with a blank sheet and we ended up with this whole big wonderful thing.”

For more information: Headsup

Maceo Parkers Tour Schedule for 2008

2/15/08 Suede Lounge in Park City, UT
2/23/08 The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA.
2/24/08 Portland Jazz Festival in Portland, OR
2/27/08 House Of Blues in Dallas, TX
2/28/08 Republic in New Orleans, NO
2/29/08 Duke University in Durham, NC
3/1/08 The State Theater in Falls Church, VA

Courtesy of Heads Up International.