South Floridians enjoyed a beautiful evening under the stars at this past Saturday night’s A Day At The Beach Concert Series at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach, FL. With performances from Roosevelt Collier’s Phunk Factory along with a rare stateside performance by legendary James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley & The New JB’s, fans were grooving all night long.
Roosevelt’s Phunk Factory featured various South Florida musicians, including Chad Bernstein of Guitars Over Guns on trombone, Jim Wuest of The Heavy Pets on keys, event organizer Jose Elias of Spam AllStars and Nag Champayons on guitar, Kenneth Earl Walker II of The Lee Boys on drums, Leo Brooks on bass, Sonny East on guitar, Steve Kornicks on percussion, with Alejandro Elizondo on vocals for “Move On Up” and Derrick Lee, also of the Lee Boys, offering vocals on “Standing On Shaky Ground” & “Superstition.” Enjoy video of their performance, compliments of CHeeSeHeaDPRoDuCTioNS.
Headlining the evening, Fred Wesley & The New JB’s took the crowd on an hour and a half odyssey of jazz/funk classics including Fred’s own “Bop To The Boogie” and Earl King’s “Trick Bag,” before inviting Roosevelt Collier and Chad Bernstein back to the stage to close the set with a cover of fellow James Brown saxophonist Maceo Parker’s “Pass The Peas,” James Brown’s infectious “Gonna Have A Funky Good Time” and set closer “House Party.” Watch the final three songs, below.
[Images provided by Susan Caplan Photography]
For fans of the Roosevelt Collier funk, don’t miss his performance with guitarist Rob Compa (Dopapod), bassist Chuck Jones (Dopapod), and drummer Isaac Teel (TAUK) coming up on Friday, February 24th at American Beauty in New York, NY. The band will be performing a very special tribute to Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys, honoring the short-lived super group with funky takes on their classic music. You can read more about the music here, and details about the event can be found on our calendar.