Sweaty, funky soul.

Photo by Whitney Pelfrey

While it’s true I did clear The Note of the more adult contemporary funk and jazz groups that played there prior to my stint as talent buyer, it’s also true that I love both funk and jazz music, particularly the styles that feel closer to the ground and gritty versus the glossier flavors of those genres. 

One funk and I did book frequently while I was there was Sugarman 3, a sax- and organ-driven funk trio that delivered what I considered in the early aughts to be “real funk.” Their shows were always something I looked forward to, and I enjoyed working with them. 

The organist from the Sugarman 3, Adam Scone, currently plays in Parlor Greens, another trio mining old school soul and channeling it into the modern era while embracing many of the sonic (and production) indicators that hang off the music more like dripping sweat than reflecting a glossy sheen.

Parlor Greens recently dropped their sophomore album Emeralds and I found it creeping back into my listening rotation more often that I expected, which means it's probably pretty dang good and worth sharing with you. Lemme know if I'm right,