Jackson Hole Underground

Photos © Jim Stanford. Click to enlarge, and use arrow keys to navigate slide show.

How fortunate the world is that while studying Shakespeare in high school, Maceo Parker decided it was better to suffer the slings and arrows of life as a musician.

Despite the weather, it sure felt like summer inside the Knotty Pine on Wednesday night as the noble sax man unleashed a torrent of funk, including the recitation from “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” that has become a staple of his routine.

Rivulets of sweat poured from his head as soon as he began to blow. The Victor log cabin was packed, and the crowd, weary of cold and rain and ready for something to get excited about, let loose.

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Wow, a cool band from England — and they actually play instruments!

After visiting the Mangy Moose on Tuesday, the New Mastersounds had the Knotty Pine grooving Wednesday with the funkiest organic rhythms from across the pond. There were no DJs or laptops on stage, just tight playing of quaint throwbacks like drums and guitar.

Young guys doing old-school funk, this band is the British counterpart to Galactic, heirs to the New Orleans musical legacy. Both groups pay the most devout homage to The Meters and bring intense energy to retro grooves.

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