Papa Grows Funk Ready to Funk up Colorado
by Matthew Kane • Jambase.com • January 7, 2002
This week, New Orleans funk sensation Papa
Grows Funk heads to the mountains for the band’s highly anticipated,
first-ever Colorado tour. The funk gets underway Thursday, January 10th
at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, with stops in Breckenridge, Vail and
Steamboat Springs before culminating Wednesday January 16th at the Fox
Theatre in Boulder (see full schedule of dates below).
This week, New Orleans funk sensation Papa Grows Funk heads to the mountains
for the band’s highly anticipated, first-ever Colorado tour. The
funk gets underway Thursday, January 10th at the Bluebird Theater in Denver,
with stops in Breckenridge, Vail and Steamboat Springs before culminating
Wednesday January 16th at the Fox Theatre in Boulder (see full schedule
of dates below).
Papa Grows Funk, a veritable New Orleans supergroup, features John Gros
(George Porter Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners) on Hammond B3 and lead
vocals; Russell Batiste, Jr. (funky Meters, Vida Blue) on drums; June Yamagishi
(Wild Magnolias) on guitar; Jason Mingledorff (Galactic) on tenor sax;
and alternating bassists Marc Pero and Peter V.
PGF spent 2001 gigging constantly, fine-tuning the group’s high-energy
live set, and increasing its constantly expanding repertoire of original
New Orleans funk. Music fans, journalists and industry types alike are
quickly taking notice. After a string of sell-out shows in San Francisco
and New York City last summer, PGF was featured in the cover story of Relix
(September-October 2001) along with Medeski Martin & Wood, Soulive
and John Scofield. Locally, PGF was recently nominated for “Best
of the Beat” awards in three categories by Offbeat, the respected
New Orleans music magazine: Best Funk Band, Best Emerging Funk Band, and
Best Funk Album.
Doin’ It, the band’s critically acclaimed debut release, continues
to garner rave reviews in publications such as Bass Player, Blues and Soul
(Japan) and in newsprint around the country. Late last year, a Japanese
distributor picked up Doin’ It for major distribution in Japan, and
almost overnight, it became the top seller in the blues department of Tower
Record/Osaka, and the #3 seller in the blues department at Tower Records/Tokyo,
both in the month of December.
If PGF’s success during the past year is any indication, 2002 looks
to be the break out year for Papa Grows Funk. After the band’s Colorado
run, the winter tour resumes on February 14th, PGF returns to San Francisco’s
Boom Boom Room for three nights (February 14th-16th), followed by east
coast dates later in the month, including a February 28th showcase at BB
King Blues Club in New York City. Also, PGF makes its debut appearance
at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 5th with other
summer festival appearances likely to follow.
Playing their brand of low-slung New Orleans funk to capacity crowds around
the country, Papa Grows Funk has firmly established itself as the premier
live New Orleans act – particularly in their home-town Monday night
gigs at New Orleans’ legendary Maple Leaf Bar. Given its marquis
line-up, PGF continues to draw fans from among the ranks of well-known
musicians who frequently drop by to sit in with the band or simply to check
out the top-shelf musicianship and tightly woven arrangements which have
become PGF’s trademarks.
As most Phish fans now know, Page McConnell joined PGF on stage last September
while in New Orleans recording with PGF drummer Batiste and Allman Brothers
bassist Oteil Burbridge on McConnell’s Vida Blue project. Other veterans
recently taking the stage with PGF include jazz keyboardist Joe Sample,
KDTU bassist Ron Johnson, legendary soul-jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks,
and keyboardist Merl Saunders. At New York’s Tribeca Blues, Soulive’s
Eric Krasno was seen groovin in standing room only crowd.
Of all the musicians who have sat sit-in with PGF, perhaps most notable –and
most rewarding for the band members- the four original Meters; Leo Nocentelli,
Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, George Porter, Jr., and Art Neville
- all sat in with the band at various times in 2001, suggesting a nod of
musical approval, and, perhaps, a symbolic passing of the crown to New
Orleans’ lofty funk throne.