The Observer, December 9, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 13
Bassist Vic Wooten brings in "da funk"
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Imagine that you saw your favorite artist on tour last month, and just yesterday, they announced a second stop in your hometown. Should you plop down another $20 (plus another $36.50 in TicketMaster fees) to see them a second time? Should you worry that the band could be running on fumes after months on tour, or hope that they have gained a second wind as they hit the home stretch? Anyone who attended Victor Wooten's Soul Circus concert on Nov. 30 at the House of Blues left after the three-hour marathon set knowing that after eight months on the road, Vic was just getting warmed up.
Victor Lemonte Wooten is arguably the best bass player alive today, and is renowned in the musical community for his amazingly fast and accurate technique as well as his compositional creativity. Wooten is a member of Béla Fleck's Flecktones, and has also released a number of solo albums on which he explores soul, bluegrass, classical, reggae, hip-hop, and funk stylings, all fused with jazz and featuring the bass as a lead instrument.
I caught his show back in April while he was on the first leg of his current tour. The tour promotes his latest release, Soul Circus, on the Vanguard label, on which Vic tries his hand at writing a solid set of hip-hop, funk, and soul-infused tunes. While this album was a bit weak compared to the rest of his catalogue, Wooten is a dish best served live, and his concert did not disappoint.
Wooten opened this smoke-free concert (chalk one up for Vic!) in a similar manner to his first show with a number of tunes off of his new album, including "Victa," "Prayer," "Stay," and "Higher Law." The early part of the show also included a passionate cover of "Summertime" by guest vocalist Saundra "The Voice" Williams over a gentle reggae beat. This was followed up by a performance of the song "Rebel" by the very talented MC Divinity, who was able to lay down her own complex bass line while rapping. While these songs were great and full of energy, the real highlights came during the second half of the show.
The show's high point came right in the middle, when Wooten took the stage alone for one of his trademark improvised solos which segues into his famous cover of "Amazing Grace." These solos really display Wooten's compositional prowess, as he weaves gentle melodies together with the help of a digital looping device, and are worth the price of admission alone. Soon after the solo, Wooten introduced four other musicians to the stage: keyboardist Joseph Wooten and guitarist Regi "The Teacher" Wooten who have been on tour with Vic all year, plus special guests Rudi Wooten on saxophone and Flecktone Roy "Futureman" Wooten on drums. The Wooten brothers jammed garage-style for almost an hour on a number of original compositions that are rarely, if ever, heard in concert or on record. At least a couple of the songs were written by the almost painfully shy Rudi, whose remarkable ability to play different melodies on two saxophones at the same time stole the show. All the brothers were given ample room to showcase their finely-honed technique, and all impressed. Regi seemed to thrive during the session and showed that he has much better improvisational abilities in a jazz setting than in others. Unfortunately, some of the jams pushed the time limits of even the most avid fans.
After this special set, the other members of the touring group made their way back on stage to close out the night with another solid 45-minute block of music. Vic played his heart out until the last note of the final number, a reprise of "Victa" in which Vic handed his bass to several talented members of the audience to play their own solos.
The Wooten family jam was a great way to mix things up for audience members who were there for the second time, but may have been a bit of a disappointment for those who were not familiar with Vic's eclectic musical background and came expecting a pure funk concert. Several people left after a couple hours, but those who held on for all three non-stop hours of music were rewarded with an amazing display of musicianship. Vic's ability to play such a marathon of a show so late in a tour is a real tribute to his love of the music he plays and his desire to share that love with his audience. All in all, Wooten put on a solid concert and any fan of the bass or excellent musicianship in general should be sure to catch him the next time the Soul Circus comes to town.
Wooten will be taking the next couple months off before he hits the road again with the Flecktones. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones will be playing the State Theater on April 29, 2006.
