Victor Wooten exudes a spontaneous and natural presence to match both his musical philosophy and the low, vibing hum of his choice instrument, the bass. He brought both of these things to UW-Madison’s campus on Wednesday, Oct. 10, for a lecture at Union South and following concert at The Majestic Theatre.
Wooten, Grammy-winning bass guitar player and member of Béla Fleck and The Flecktones did not arrive alone—with him came a cast of great solo musicians, fellow bass instructors and drum teachers to improvise jams, play old funk classics and debut two of his new and Grammy-nominated jazz albums. Even so, these new numbers were not necessarily the main focal point of the evening.
Wooten and his seven-piece band experimented with new instruments, grooves and solos during their set at the Majestic. Throwing aside new album material for most of the night, they instead worked in improvised jams and switching up instruments. They also worked in covers of classic hits by the likes of Herbie Hancock, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and more, showing off their knowledge and talent on several levels.
His band made for a quirky composition of multi-talented musicians and showmen that consisted of two drummers, four bassists (who used four different types of basses—4-string, 5-string, 6-string fretless and upright bass), keyboard players, singers, trumpet players and trombonists.
Each band member played multiple instruments throughout the night, but Wooten in particular showed off his own versatility. He would sometimes drop his bass guitar and launch into his unique bass-slapping techniques or progressive jazz riffs on the cello and guitar while the three other bass players laid back in the pocket.
Wooten showed off his skills as a solo musician in other ways too by experimenting with pedal-looping technology and effects. He would record a melody on cello, for instance, pick up the bass, rip a long solo, loop another bass part over the top and then layer harmonies soulfully together on a variety of instruments to bring it all together. Victor Wooten is a one-man funk machine.
In his lecture, Wooten described music as a language that needs to be experienced and used to interact in order to be improved upon. He said it was simpler than most people would ever believe, considering the components of music only have seven letters and 12 notes to memorize. Yet he might be underselling his talent.
His playing at the Majestic was anything but simple. He attacked the bass with rapid slapping and popping, pulled back with emotional suspense and deployed many of his made-up techniques and versatile thumb and finger patterns to funk the place up—all techniques he had mentioned during his lecture.
“If my fingers lock up I use my thumb. It’s a versatile tool and can be used as a pick when double thumbing and slapping,” Wooten said. “I think of playing percussively on my bass.”
He described how this unique style worked, holding up the thumb and fingers on his right hand and striking the strings like drumsticks, explaining how he hears a backbeat of the snare drum (1... 2… 3... 4) that drives his playing and helps him to sit in the pocket of the groove.
This is the way he expressed himself most of the night and his divergent musical thoughts somehow seemed to transcribe their way into notes and experience.
“You don’t need a time signature or rules to dance and express yourself by singing and playing,” Wooten said. “It’s the music that touches you, not technicality.”
In this creative way, Wooten pushed the boundaries of modern jazz sound, letting loose his fearless and free nature of thought into notes and techniques on the bass guitar. In his earlier speech, he attributed this achievement to mental focus and said it made the difference between success and failure for most musicians.
“I am tougher mentally than I am physically,” he said. Wooten said he trains his mind in relaxation techniques to remain calm under intense performing pressures.
He exemplifies this calm sense of courage and confidence in his search for the unknowns of musical and spiritual sides of music and life, and during his show, he really laid himself out as a grounded person who has gained a lot of wisdom from traveling the world doing what he loves.
“I want to hit people’s insides with my music … make you taste, feel and smell it,” Wooten said, describing his ultimate goal of musical expression and happiness.
“Do what makes you happy,” he continued. “You’re never at your best when you’re out to prove something.”
His performance on Wednesday lifted the spirits of those in attendance, making everyone there feel a little more happy, a little more inspired to be alive.
“Don’t ever let the world change your smile!” yelled Wooten over the encore applause of his final song, aptly titled “I’m Gonna Miss You.”
