The results too often sounded like a Grateful Dead second-set space jam, during which the audience hits the concession stands. The group's most impressive member, though, turned out to be drummer Billy Martin, who demonstrated a knack for generating a deep groove and then subverting it with staggered syncopation and unexpected offbeats. The group's three-way improvisation was most interesting when it worked with Martin's ideas. The day's least adventurous act was also its tightest. Maceo Parker led a group of seven musicians and three backup singers that conjured up the propulsive punch and hypnotic riffs of a James Brown show, without a lead singer.
Access is a problem, though.