Alto saxophonist
Maceo Parker will forever be known as
James Brown's main horn man, and his gritty sax playing with the likes of
Bootsy Collins and
Prince has made him the dean of
funk, a man who helped build the genre from the ground up, starting with "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." That new bag is now 40 years old here, and although
Parker's solo projects have never gotten the same attention as his side jobs, it is startling to realize that School's In! is his ninth solo album.
Parker knows that the groove is the thing, and working the groove to death is his main goal, so being up to date, current, and innovative doesn't concern him very much, which is why School's In! sounds so wonderfully refreshing, and is arguably his most complete effort since 1992's Life on Planet Groove. Recorded in the studio with his touring band, the album has a loose, bright feel, grounded, of course, by
Parker's brand of
jazz-tinged
soul funk. Highlights include long, muscular sax workouts on "Basic Funk: 101" and
the Jackson 5's "ABC," both of which stretch out to over eight minutes in length, and
Parker's vocal duet with fellow alto sax player (and fellow
Prince alum) Candy Dilfer on
Sam Cooke's "What a Wonderful World."
Morris Hayes adds some nice counter piano on the soul-jazzy "Arts & Crafts," while the album's instrumental ballad, "Song for My Teacher," hints at what
Parker can do in the
jazz department should he ever choose to transfer there. The track that will undoubtedly get the most media attention is "What Do You Know About Funk?," which includes a mid-tempo rap from
Parker's son,
Corey Parker. Unfortunately it is the least interesting thing on the album, maybe because
funk has never been much about words and entirely about making the ground shake at the mercy of the almighty groove. What you say isn't as important as what you do in the world of
funk, and
Maceo Parker has always known what to do. Thank God he's still doing it. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
