Off topic: Maceo Parker concert

Almost 15 years ago now, my high school friends introduced me to the funkiest live album ever, Life on Planet Groove. I've been dying to see Maceo Parker live ever since. Problem is, he tours extensively in Europe, and tends to play only the largest cities in the U.S. when he comes here. And, um, Rochester ain't one of them.

But this year Maceo was slated as a small-stage act at the increasingly excellent Rochester International Jazz Fesstival—and the best news was, it was a free show! No way was I missing this. In fact, no way was I seeing this show from anywhere other than the stage railing.

I knew from having gone downtown to see Los Lonely Boys on the same stage the week before that I'd need to get there early or risk having my view obstructed by a swarm of disinterested idiots. So I arrived at 7:00 to see a 9:00 show. Fortunately, the 7:00 act (Motor Kings, I think) was decent, so it made the time pass. And when Maceo started blowing his horn, I was close enough to see the tiny mist of spit fly out of the octave valve.

What can I say? I had higher hopes for this show than any I've ever been to, and I was not disappointed. If anything, Maceo and his band exceeded my high expectations. The band was incredibly tight and remarkably skilled, and Maceo's saxophone mastery is a joy to watch. He's not John Coltrane or Charlie Parker, but that is not the point at all. The man controls his horn from top to bottom and he plays it hard. And his skills as a bandleader are unparalleled. A tiny hand motion was all it required for the band to cut out, jump in, change dynamic, or start doing a funky little dance.

This is one of those shows you just need to go see. Seriously, if Maceo comes anywhere near you—like, closer than Spain—you need to go buy a ticket. You won't regret it.