In the 1990s, former
James Brown sidemen
Fred Wesley and
Maceo Parker concentrated on instrumental jazz. But back in the late '70s they were both part of
George Clinton's empire and focused on
P-Funk. Having been in
Brown's employ, trombonist
Wesley and saxman
Parker were obvious choices for
Clinton's various projects. The Godfather of Soul was a major influence on
Clinton and gave
Wesley and
Parker a first-class education in funk and soul that served them well when they hooked up with
Clinton. In 1977,
Clinton and
Bootsy Collins produced
A Blow for Me, A Toot for You, the debut album by
Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns -- a group that boasted
Wesley on trombone,
Parker on tenor and alto sax, and
Rick Gardner and
Richard "Kush" Griffith on trumpet.
Clinton and
Collins did a lot of the writing, and not surprisingly, much of this vinyl LP is pure
P-Funk. The album gets off to a gritty start with a remake of
Parliament's
"Up for the Down Stroke," and the
Parliament influence is equally strong on
"Between Two Sheets." As for the instrumentals,
"Four Play" blends funk and jazz, while
Wesley's moody
"Peace Fugue" isn't unlike something you would have heard on a
CTI recording in the 1970s.
"Peace Fugue," in fact, is the least
Clinton-sounding thing on the LP.
A Blow for Me, A Toot for You isn't in a class with
Parliament's
The Mothership Connection,
Collins'
Ahh...The Name is Bootsy, Baby! or
Funkadelic's
One Nation Under a Groove, but it's a generally likable, if uneven, record that die-hard
P-Funk collectors should be aware of. [This edition of the album adds two bonus remixes (of the title track and
"Four Play") and a brief audio interview with
George Clinton.] ~ Alex Henderson
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