Clinton’s star shines at Yoshi’s even as his aging voice fades

July 14, 2011, 12:58 a.m.
Clinton’s star shines at Yoshi’s even as his aging voice fades
Courtesy of MCT

Sunday was the final night of a weeklong funk extravaganza at Yoshi’s Jazz Club celebrating the 70th birthday of the mayor of Chocolate City, master of the Bop Gun, Dr. Funkenstein himself, George Clinton. For those not in the know, Clinton is the most important figure in the postmodern evolution of pseudo-ironic black identity encapsulated in the form of funk music. Other than James Brown, no artist has been more instrumental (pun intended) to authoring the defining characteristics of the genre. Influential and musically prolific, Clinton and his Parliament-Funkadelic crew have been the defining architects of funk’s hyperbolic, unabashedly absurd aesthetics. If Brown is the father of funk, Clinton is its epicenter.

The dance floor at Yoshi’s was surprisingly empty for a P-Funk show, but fittingly vacant for the weirdly early 7 p.m. start time. There were at least 10 performers in the band – it is not irregular for those on stage to be without an instrument, such as Carlos “Sir Nose” McMurray, a designated dancer clad in a white-feathered robe and matching wide-brimmed hat – admirably holding down “Bop Gun” while Clinton remained offstage. But it was not long before the man of the hour appeared, wearing a camo suit, a general’s hat and a fittingly glazed expression. Clinton no longer possesses anywhere near the vocal range that made him one of funk’s most beloved prophets. In fact, he sounded worse than the Pogues’ Shane Magowan on St. Patrick’s day last year, which is to say really, really growly. Thankfully, he surrounded himself with a multitude of talented musicians who more than made up for the decline in Clinton’s vocal purity. Now a self-proclaimed “referee,” he was a great anchor for the plethora of musicians on stage.

As the first of two shows came to a close, Clinton and crew tore through killer renditions of “Mothership Connection,” “Flashlight” and “Maggot Brain,” bringing most of the crowd to the dance floor. There was a predictable collection of hipsters; the occasional white-collar, blazer-wearing banker type; and the more typical P-Funk fans, but no one danced harder than two pre-pubescent children, whose inspired efforts drew the praise of Clinton himself. Taking advantage of the numerous guitarists, the songs achieved a climax not heard on the records. However, the first show closed on an unconventional note with a cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood” featuring a gorgeous guest vocalist.

A half hour later, Clinton opened the second show with “Cosmic Slop.” It was clear that Clinton and the “Children of Productions” made the most of their 30-minute break between shows. With a renewed energy and slightly modified, but no less extravagant costumes, they launched into a mostly new set which featured appearances from several members of Clinton’s family. His blood relatives proved to be musically adept and charismatic additions to the show, while his son’s argyle sweater-clad friend who couldn’t mask his “undeniable whiteness” performed a bizarre and ultimately flat rendition of “Pull On My Dingle,” or some variant thereof. But this could not detract from the truly awesome, guitar-driven renditions of such classics as “Give Up the Funk,” with most of the audience joining in for the legendary chorus.

While it lacked the aggressive (and perhaps desperate) stimulation of two dudes on a laptop with a projected visualizer – seemingly all the rage with this generation – Clinton and P-Funk practiced the time-honored, glorious tradition of musicians playing together simply to have fun. They were all talented and ridiculous, some were wasted and one was extremely fat, but they united as one nation under a groove. Consider this an entreaty from your humble correspondents to “free your mind” and see George Clinton before you can’t anymore.

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