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DVD James Brown Live At Chastain Park, Atlanta TDK 10 5191 9 DV-PJBCP Amazon UK

 

1. Give It Up (Turn It Loose)
2. It’s Too Funky In Here
3. Try Me
4. Get On The Good Foot
5. Prisoner OF Love
6. Get Up Offa That Thang
7. Georgia On My Mind
8. It’s A Man’s, Man’s World
9. Cold Sweat / I Can’t Stand It (Medley)
10. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
11. I Got You (I Feel So Good)
12. Please, Please, Please
13. Jam 1980’s

James Brown – Vocal
Maceo Parker – Alto
St Clair Pickney – Tenor
Joe Collier – Trumpet
George Haji Ahkba Dickerson – Flugel
Sweets Charles Sherrell
Larry Wild Moore – Keyboards
Ron Laster – Guitar
Tony Jones – Guitar
Jimmy Lee Moore – Bass
Tony Cook – Drums
Johnny Griggs – Congas/Percussion
Martha High – Backing vocals

This session was recorded live in 1985 and it is a typical James Brown performance, 110% effort from everyone from everyone on the team. Everything is choreographed for maximum impact on the audience and it is rumoured that the band is fined if they forget the steps! James Brown’s initial success was with black America, but he has now become popular across the races. This has brought him financial success and he is able to employ musicians of the calibre of Maceo Parker in his backing group.

Watching musician’s dance while they play ensemble passages does nothing for me, but the audience seems to like. Glenn Miller did a milder version with his waving Trombones and Trumpets on ‘In the Mood’, so the idea has been around for sometime!

The purpose of the band is simply to back James Brown to best effect and so there is little here for the jazz fan, even though there are some fine musicians in the band. The keyboard players using a heavy organ sound drown out most of what the front line do anyway!

Most of the number are James Brown’s compositions and a number of them have been big hits, even though I don’t follow pop music It’s a man’s World and I Got You I am familiar with.

To sum up this DVD, James Brown is a super showman and he has a very well rehearsed band, which the crowd enjoys. If this is your type of music, then this is probably as good as it gets.

Don Mather

 

 
 
 

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