A couple weeks ago, I had the chance to hang with my longtime friend and fellow bassist, Raymell “Manwich” Smith, of the band Arteless. We decided to keep a tradition alive and to go see one of our mutual influences in concert. That man is no other than world-renowned bassist and Grammy award winner, Victor Wooten.
We had a chance to catch Victor at a bass clinic in 2011 at Melodee Music; just the man with his instrument, his amp, a looping pedal, and a myriad of questions and philosophies for everyone in attendance. We caught him that summer with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and every one of the musicians in that group was simply breathtaking in their performances. November 2012 provided the first opportunity to catch Victor with his band, live at the historical State Theatre in Falls Church, VA. (Read my blog about performing in that famed venue HERE.)
Victor and his band are supporting the latest releases, the twin discs titled Words and Tone and Sword and Stone. One disc is instrumental. The other features around a dozen songs sung by various female vocalists, including Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Saundra Williams, Divinity Roxx, Claudette Sierra, and others.
The touring vocalist is the wonderfully talented Kristal Peterson. She performed both songs she recorded for the album, along with a laundry list of great songs supported by the band. Raymell and I expected Vic to perform an absolute clinic. When the band opened with the song, “A Woman’s Strength”, which I dedicate to my wife all the time, he wasn’t playing bass. He was on cello. And, of course, he took the solo.
There are moments when, as a bassist, you watch Victor Wooten and simply put your face in your hands.
As it turns out, playing multiple instruments is one of the themes of this tour. Peterson routinely broke from singing to play percussion or keys. Steve Bailey played a beautiful piece on fretless six-string bass, then switched to keys and trombone. Dave Welsch went from bass to trumpet. Vic himself played several bass guitars and cello. The band was supported by dual drummers J.D. Blair and Derico Watson.
In addition to material off of Words and Tone, including “A Woman’s Strength”, “Love is my Favorite Word”, “Brooklyn”, and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”, the band covered a few other songs from other artists and Vic’s back catalog. My favorite moment was the band performing “I Saw God” from the 2008 album, Palmystery, with a lengthy solo. One of the fun things Vic does is to include pieces of other songs in his solos. In this case, he included the Grateful Dead, Steely Dan, and “Amazing Grace.”
My only complaint about the show was that I left wanting more. That’s not a complaint. That’s an endorsement. Vic’s opening act was the jam masters of the Jimmy Herring Band. Herring’s guitar tone is absolute gold. The four-piece band played through several catchy tunes where members traded solos. I wish I knew track names. I don’t. I do know that Herring is touring in support of his second disc, Subject to Change Without Notice. I was hoping Vic and Herring might jam, but no luck at this show. Stay tuned for it in other gigs on the tour, though.
The performance was even better than Vic’s latest albums. One thing you get on the disc that you don’t get in concert is the charming “When U Grow Up”, performed by Vic’s son and daughter. It’s a catchy tune that really has warm heart.
I’m going to keep trying to figure out how Vic plays some of the things he does. He is masterful at his craft, and I would recommend seeing him in concert to any musician, regardless of what you sing or play. His book, The Music Lesson, is a great read about the philosophy behind music, not just putting notes together in the order that makes the next cookie cutter top 10 hit.
Stay tuned for more music related posts this month. I’m focusing.
One Love,
nK
Love Music. Love Health. Love Life.