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Fred Wesley leads his New JBs as they funk up The National Mall

Tonight it was Fred Wesley and the New JBs turn to funk up the National Mall.  Wesley, the former trombonist for both James Brown and Parliament Funkaldelic, led his incredibly tight 7-piece ensemble through a 90-minute show featuring sweeping soundscapes of funk, jazz, and even a 40s swing piece to pay tribute to how "we got here with this sound tonight."

While Wesley definitely learned from watching 2 of the greatest showmen in soul in Brown and George Clinton and the sound was hot all night, the special cooking really came with the last 2 songs "Breaking Bread with Mama" and "Pass the Peas."

The encore, a tribute to the venerable Brown, definitely made sure that everyone present was treated a funky good time. As James would have said, "hit me again, Fred."