Maceo Parker, City Winery, Chicago, Illinois

It was my first time at City Winery, a small venue in the West Loop as focused on making wine and its bar and restaurant as much as it is hosting concerts. It has a small concert hall/dining room with enough room for several hundred seated guests.

American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, Maceo Parker is best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band. Since the early 1990s, he has toured under his own name. Since the 70s, he was also released over a dozen recordings as a band leader and over a hundred records as a sideman for such artists as Prince, Bryan Ferry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Dave Matthews Band.

With him on stage that evening were seven other musicians, and in typical James Brown fashion, they played him on and off the stage. In the mix were a pair of background vocalists, one of which was his son. He mostly played alto sax and sang intermittently throughout the evening. He seemed to have lots of energy for a man in his 70s, especially considering all he’s probably seen and been through spending all that time with James Brown and George Clinton. I was expecting a jazz performance, and while there was a little, his sound was more funk than anything else. His set included some James Brown and Parliament Funkadelic covers. Eventually, I joined a small group of people dancing on the side of the room. It was too funky not to dance.

During his set, he gave his band a chance to do some solo work. This included when he left the stage towards the end. As at least some members of his band kept the music going, there was no proper encore. Considering that he also had a later show, he probably just needed to keep things on schedule. However, he did come back out after the set closed to shake hands and sign autographs.