I've been interviewing some amazing people lately. Just this week in the Union-Tribune, I had a couple of stories: one on funk pioneer Maceo Parker and the other on New Mexico's Handsome Family.
If you get a minute, check out the stories:
For Parker, the funk retains its charm
By Chris Nixon
January 22, 2004
Always styling with the suit and tie, always exuding old-school professionalism, always brimming with rhythm and soul, funk sax master Maceo Parker remains an icon in the music world.
With his signature recipe of "two percent jazz, 98 percent funky stuff," Parker is a funk-music originator while incorporating hip-hop, jazz and soul to keep his sound inventive and original.
Along with Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, Parker helped establish the horn section as an essential piece of the funk orchestra. Starting with the classic James Brown groups of the 1960s, Parker brought his syncopated, jazzy style of sax playing to JB's music for more than two decades.
In the mid-'70s, Parker and his cohorts Ellis and Wesley hooked up with Bootsy Collins' Rubber Band and George Clinton, performing the crazy interstellar funk of Parliament-Funkadelic.
"I do use a little bit of both George and James Brown's music," said the gravel-voiced Parker. "James Brown's music is sort of my music too, because I was there when we first recorded it. I enjoyed all the time I spent, not only with those two guys, but Bootsy (Collins), too. So I get a little bit from each one of them."
Not only did Parker gain musical knowledge from the funk legends he's worked with, he also learned how to lead a band. In his own band – an outfit he's led since the early '90s, Parker takes lessons from both Brown and Clinton.
The Maceo Parker band always hits the stage in full suit and tie, drawing on Brown's sense of professional behavior. But he allows for individual freedom and expression in the music, taking a cue from Clinton's free-spirited anarchic Parliament/Funkadelic groups with incendiary live performances.
"George is really loose: You don't have to conform to anything," said the 60-year-old saxophonist, finding the middle ground between Clinton and Brown. "You don't have to be color-coordinated. His whole concept is 'Life ain't nothing but a party.' All of that is totally different than James Brown. You almost have to be in uniform. Most of the songs are pretty much the same every night."
Parker's solo releases, "Roots Revisited" (1990) and "Mo' Roots" (1991), found Parker exploring his jazzy side, while subsequent albums (1998's "FunkOverload," 2000's "Dial: M-A-C-E-O" and 2003's "Made By Maceo") focused on funk. Parker appeared as a guest with a staggering array of artists, including Ani DiFranco ("To the Teeth"), Prince ("Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic"), Living Colour (Time's Up), Dee-Lite ("Word Clique" and "Infinity Within") and Keith Richards ("Talk Is Cheap").
Through collaborations and constant touring, Parker remains devoted to his craft: "I still love the work, I love my job and I love the people. At the same time, it gets a few bills paid as well. We have six kids, so there's always something to pay for."
One of Parker's sons, Corey, has taken up the family trade. Corey provides rhymes and hip-hop flavor to his dad's stage show, touring with Parker's talented band.
"Most bands have a singer and maybe a few horns, but (Corey) brings the whole rap thing into the mix," said Parker, obviously proud of his son. "He has a lot of fun with it. It's definitely in his blood. He's got the bug, so he's going to be onstage, whether if it's with me or doing his own thing."
Parker's recent work helps complete his resume.
"If there's any void in my career, playing recently with Prince has really filled any gaps for me. Performing with him and seeing how he goes about his business is – how do they say it on TV these days? – it's 'priceless.' "
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
And the Handsome Family:
COUNTRY HIGHWAY
Handsome Family takes its own path to get to the root of roots music
By Chris Nixon
January 22, 2004
minimalist approach to American roots music, full of ghostly imagery and dark harmonies. Mark Owen
Their spooky old-time harmonies and ghostly country stories make the Handsome Family's music an odd blend of early 20th-century folk and modern imagery.
Hailing from Albuquerque, N.M., the husband-and-wife duo creates roots country music straight out of a Victorian gothic novel or a Charles Addams cartoon, telling stories about haunted Wal-Marts and bottomless pits.
Beginning their career together almost a decade ago, the Handsome Family combines the songwriting style of the Carter Family, bittersweet melodies and DIY acoustic music for a beautiful, surreal late-night walk through the cemetery. In the current world of pop star debutantes Beyoncé and Britney, the Handsome Family's rustic tunes sound more genuine than ever.
"(The old songs) make you feel like somebody understands where you're coming from," said lyricist Rennie Sparks during a recent phone conversation from their home in New Mexico, which doubles as the couple's recording studio.
"When you hear someone singing about being 'Bootylicious,' most of us can't relate," she said. "Maybe for a few fleeting seconds at a time have I felt that way. But you listen to a Carter Family song, and I feel like I know these people and I know what they're feeling. It's much closer to the experience of being alive."
Added Brett Sparks: "All of our pop heroes are so young. Beyoncé's like 22 years old, and she's basically controlling the world with her mind and her strange little songs. When we found country and folk music, it made a lot of sense to us. It made a lot of sense to Rennie especially, because she's more of a short story writer than a poet or a conventional rock lyricist."
Following in the footsteps of traditional American song crafters, Brett and Rennie recorded six of their seven full-length albums (one live club recording) in a home studio. They also tour alone, mostly as a duo, keeping things simple and letting the songs speak for themselves in the live context.
The Handsome Family used to tour with its own van, but as Brett put it: "We beat the hell out of it." So now they rent, joining soccer moms across America in their love for minivans.
"It's totally rock 'n' roll when we pull up to a show in a minivan," said Rennie, good-naturedly poking fun at herself.
The couple performs together, writes songs together, tours together and lives together, which can be good for the creative process but can put a strain on the relationship.
"It's nice to work together," said Rennie. "We end up working on things that neither one of us would (create) on our own. I think we end up with something different this way."
"People say, 'Never work with your spouse,' " said Brett, starting a volley of words between the couple. "So that's another experiment we're working on."
Rennie added: "Not only do we work together, we sometimes spend months together where we're never separated unless one of us is in the bathroom."
"Thank god for bathrooms," quips Brett.
With the release of 2003's "Singing Bones," the duo (married for 15 years) strums their way into the listener's heart, providing a testament to the power of exquisite minimalism. A quiet symphony of singing saws and simple songs, "Singing Bones" might be the antidote to the current abundance of dancing Britneys and bouncing Beyoncés.
In contrast to clear-eyed, honest traditional folk music, pop divas seem ridiculous.
"We listen to a lot of what (writer) Greil Marcus would call 'old weird America,' " said Brett. "We listen to a lot of the old music. I don't think it's weird because it's old. I just think it's weird. You could call it O.W.A."
Rennie: "As opposed to N.W.A.: new weird America."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
