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Victor Lemonte Wooten

#42
JAUQO III-X said:
Hey Chris those are the type of players that will always get the gig especially if they can really play.
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That's because the people hiring them aren't bassists ;) :D

Seriously, you speak the truth - but we're a bunch of bassists talking about other bassists, so I think it's reasonable to speak in a different context than when talking about who gets the high profile (i.e. high paying, but usually not as interesting) gigs.
 
#45
I have seen Vic once live. I think he is very talented and one of the top bass players. I think his technique is unreal. The downside is I really dont like his music at all and to me he is a little strange though he seems to be a very nice person. I like Marcus Miller's music a lot more. That of course is the style and music I prefer. Both are great bass players just different.
 
#46
Saw Wooten with Mike Stern and Dave Weckle in NYC a couple years back. Fantastic... IMHO though not as impressionable to me as seeing Jaco with Weather Report back in 1977 or 78 at the Royal Oak Theater... Of course being A LOT younger back then made me more impressionable across the board...

Both Bass Players from another Planet and Pushing the envelope on what could be done and promoting the instrument to both fellow players and the lay folks to which we can all benefit.

I never really understand the idea of bashing on folks that have contributed so much,... Kind of reminds me of the "take care of the log in your own eye before commenting on the spec in anothers..."
 
#48
Since don't people don't see Vic playing with Bela or any other bands, and just see his solo stuff, he's one of the tightest bassist I've ever seen, and man does he go deep in that pocket.

Check this video out. Him, Carter Beauford, Bela Fleck, and a sax player (Who I always forget the name of)



Tight man. Tight.
 
#51
its good to kno people are getting along.. lol
Wooten isnt at all sloppy to my reasoning, i compared his recording of classical thumo to a power tab of it and victors is almost as clean. Being 100% clean sounds ****, which is good because no human can do it. Sting is an alright bass player i gues, he plays simply but it is good. Tho i dont think people should say one is better than the other, They are all good at what they do.
 
#52
Come to think of it, shouldn't we all be playing at a higher level? I think I play at a level that is not where I was last year.

BassSlave said:
Actually, those that know Vic personally say the opposite. He can do some things and have recorded some things that surpass what he has done in the past.
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#54
I heard Wooten is very discontent of the fact that he doesn't get called out on gigs anymore, because everyone thinks of him as the "solo-bass-virtouso-Wooten" instead of the "kick-ass-bassist-Wooten" he is, at least to me. Everyone should listen to him on Vital Tech Tones before making any statements. If that's not tight, then I don't know what is.

There's a bad trend, when people pick up a bass and start to learn playing, all they think of is double-thumbing. I know, i'm one of them. I tried to learn it, never did well enough to play in public, and later i've noticed that I don't need it for anything. Of course if you want to play a solo with all the "magic tricks" and just show off, it's good, but that has nothing to do with musicality.

Oh, and that Utube clip (Zenergy) Mark Wilson posted above proves the point.
 
#56
JAUQO III-X said:
Hey Chris those are the type of players that will always get the gig especially if they can really play.
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Indeed, and like I say, Vic can groove on the root note all day...he's not short of gigs.

Fassa Albrecht said:
Victor Wooten is probably one of the few professional bassists around who can combine technical accuracy with good, listenable playing. The result is good solid music which is delivered in a smooth and neat way.
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Any examples of "professional bassists" who don't combine "technical accuracy" with "good, listenable playing"?
 
#57
Wooten has tremendous technical facility. My verdict is still out as to whether he's a musician or an acrobat.

There are plenty of technically proficient clinicians and fusion heads that move very fast on their instruments and perform many neat tricks. They have their place, for sure.

It's not my bag, but it definitely is someone's as these cats pack clinics, sell tons of DVDs and sign many endorsement deals.

For some of us, the song is the thing. Give me the likes Tony Levin, Dee Murray or Rick Danko anyday. They use their axes to tell a story.

That said, rock on Victor Wooten!

TOMANO
 
#59
TOMANO said:
Wooten has tremendous technical facility. My verdict is still out as to whether he's a musician or an acrobat.

There are plenty of technically proficient clinicians and fusion heads that move very fast on their instruments and perform many neat tricks. They have their place, for sure.

It's not my bag, but it definitely is someone's as these cats pack clinics, sell tons of DVDs and sign many endorsement deals.

For some of us, the song is the thing. Give me the likes Tony Levin, Dee Murray or Rick Danko anyday. They use their axes to tell a story.

That said, rock on Victor Wooten!

TOMANO
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You make some good points, but I don't think the "acrobat only" tag applies very well to Wooten. He is very capable of playing laid back, simple lines when the song calls for it and there are several examples of this in his Flecktones playing. I happen to have the "Live Art" album in front of me, and looking through the track listing at least half of the songs feature no double-thump, tapping or acrobatics at all. Obviously, on boards like this and in musician's circles, the mind-blowing fireworks are what gets talked about, but he can construct some killer bass lines that support the band. I highly recommend this album, and for understated bass check out the tracks "Oh, Darling!", "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" and "Sunset Road".
 
#60
Sometimes he does get a bit of buzz when he plays, but it is really insignificant. I think it makes him seem more human and maybe one day we can achieve a level of playing close to him. The man's got incredible chops, but he knows how to groove better than most of us. If you've ever watched an interview with him, he mentions the significance of the cake(groove) much more than the icing (flashy technique). His musicality is outstanding.
 

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