ROOTS & GROOVES - MACEO PARKER
The first half of the legendary saxman’s two-disc live set with Germany’s WDR Big Band is a rollicking tribute to Ray Charles. The second half goes — and let’s turn it over to Maceo Parker here — “Back to Funk,” and the two sides demand, with equal ferocity, that you get out of your chair. Parker says early on that he’s long dreamed of doing Charles tunes with a big band, and his enthusiasm is nearly thick enough to grab a handful of: “Hallelujah I Love Her So” leaps and dances, while “Busted” and the obligatory “Georgia on My Mind” strike a nearly perfected level of simmering soul. And with the big band, nuggets like “Shake Everything You Got” and a sprawling, kitchen-sink take on “Pass the Peas” works up a mighty lather in each of its 17 minutes and 48 seconds.
