Victor Wooten Solo

[mistermikev]

I like his tone the least of the great slappers, but his skill undeniable.

wow, as usual vw brings it. afa tone... now that you mention it yeah his tone isn't bad but isn't among my favs. that said... perhaps he spent too much time listening to his brother who plays through a jazz chorus but plays in a way that really accents the highs... I've seen vw in concernt 2x and one time w his brother... awesome guitar skills but (and perhaps it was where I was sitting) it was like there was a horn 2" from my ear.

 

[Thegreatzambini]

I like his tone the least of the great slappers, but his skill undeniable.

It's that damn Hartke stuff, ever since he switched to that I've liked his slap percussive stuff less and less …listen to bass day 98 where he's the ampeg ….night and day really

 

[Paul New]

Funny how preference for tone runs in fashion cycles. Right now, bright basses are out but I'm starting to see baggy pants a lot, so that might be changing soon.

A long time ago, mid 90s maybe, at an outdoor festival, I saw The Flecktones and thought I would be able to get a good seat and chill. No way. Every teen and 20 something bass player in Birmingham was there to see Vic. He put on a show for them, too. Edgar Meyer and his trio with Jerry Douglas and Barenburg was nice though.

 

[perfektspace6]

Probably relayed this already but I saw Victor with Bela Fleck at The Birchmere in VA in the late 90s and it was such a great show. Got there early to get in line and ended up with seats at a table literally right in front of Wooten. I was young and was just starting to get pretty good on the bass and seeing that level of playing from a few feet away was mind-blowing. You have to remember that you couldn't pull up much content on-line at that point so there was still some mystery with what players were like live. Outside of seeing him do a set on BET Jazz I don't think I had any additional context beyond a few albums. The solo he did killed. Not that he isn't still great but that was prime Wooten.

 

[ebo]

I've met him a few times, at a show, a bass clinic, a book signing, and he is so nice and generous with his time and energy. He is so encouraging to the bass community including his bass/nature camps. I respect any great player, either pro and amateur, but to be such an inspiring human being on top of it? He's the man. Tone or musical styles aside, he's a beast.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

When I first heard Victor years a go, I decided he's from a different universe.

 

[InhumanResource]

I like his tone the least of the great slappers, but his skill undeniable.

He's a powerhouse for sure. I never did latch onto listening him just as a fan, but I have a HUGE appreciation for his teaching style and ability to package musical concepts into a very down to earth delivery or lecture. His educational side is just excellent, IMO.

 

[bass12]

Probably relayed this already but I saw Victor with Bela Fleck at The Birchmere in VA in the late 90s and it was such a great show. Got there early to get in line and ended up with seats at a table literally right in front of Wooten. I was young and was just starting to get pretty good on the bass and seeing that level of playing from a few feet away was mind-blowing. You have to remember that you couldn't pull up much content on-line at that point so there was still some mystery with what players were like live. Outside of seeing him do a set on BET Jazz I don't think I had any additional context beyond a few albums. The solo he did killed. Not that he isn't still great but that was prime Wooten.

There was a magic in that pre-Youtube lack of accessibility. It made catching a live show that much more meaningful. The only time I saw Victor Wooten on the screen before seeing him live was the Flecktones' Lonesome Pine Special performance. I was blown away by Victor's solo spot but even that didn't prepare me for when I first saw him live. The Flecktones were touring their Three Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest album and the fact they were a trio gave Victor even more room to shine as a soloist. The band played two shows that night (at the Montreal Spectrum) and I was in line for the second show. While I was waiting people were exiting (after seeing the first show) and all you could hear was folks' expressions of astonishment at the bass playing they'd just witnessed. It was really cool - and the show was unbelievable. The whole band was on fire. Man, I wish I could go back in time and experience that again. So good. Speaking of memories from that show, I wish Vic would play more fretless. He can be a beautifully melodic player and fretless, in particular, seems to bring that out.

 

[acid bass]

The artificial harmonics kill me. He throws them in so effortlessly and they are very hard to get correct, let alone ring out so cleanly. I remember distinctly watching his Bass Day 98 video and realizing that he was tapping the string with his fingernail, like it was some a-ha moment that I'd be able to use. Decades later I still can't do them with the finesse that he does.

I got to see Vic in his heyday when he was just torching venues. I've been a little sad to see some of his more recent videos where you can tell the focal dystonia is really affecting him. This video makes me happy though; it's a good solo and he's putting on a show. Dude can still burn the place down.

 

[Jrussblues]

Gotta be sizzly to not muddy up all those notes.
I think the tone is great for the setting.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

For those who can't see anything past his thumb, here's a more complete version of the same song from a different show. If that's not sitting in the pocket, then I don't what is.

 

[Skokiaan]

Yeah, there's a definite difference in his playing style. I've been to symposiums with him and seen him live so many times. He definitely doesn't play the way he used to. But he's still the GOAT, in my book.

Here's the 1st interview about the disease I saw. It's pretty wild.

When was this interview? It seemed to be hitting him hard during the Cory Wong tour.

[I wish the therapist would stop moaning in agreement to every sentence. "Mmm.....Hmmm....Yes....HmmMmm.....yup......right....]

 

[tb-player]

When was this interview? It seemed to be hitting him hard during the Cory Wong tour.

Looks like it's from 2 years ago. I saw him on the Bass Extremes tour a few months ago with Steve Bailey. He was definitely affected. Still VERY impressive. Even with focal dystonia, the dude can still do significantly more than most healthy bass players.

 

[Skokiaan]

Looks like it's from 2 years ago. I saw him on the Bass Extremes tour a few months ago with Steve Bailey. He was definitely affected. Still VERY impressive. Even with focal dystonia, the dude can still do significantly more than most healthy bass players.

I didn't notice much when I saw Bass Extremes, but I did when he played a solo benefit show at Kean University shortly afterwards. Not knowing about his condition, I asked him about his playing with just his first finger, which he did quite a bit that evening. That's when he told me about his focal dystonia.

Couldn't happen to a less deserving guy.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I've seen Victor 3 times. The first was the summer of '98 when the Flecktones came to the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque. I was in college about 3hrs south, so 2 friends and I drove up for the show. We arrived hours early, and much to our dismay, saw that the El Rey was 21+ and 2 of us were 20 at the time. Our 25yr old friend went in and found the manager and explained our predicament. There was no indication when we bought our tickets that the show was 21+. The manager told us to sit tight, which we did at the front door for about 2hrs, while a long line formed around the side of the building. Finally, the doors opened and the manager came out and explained to the long line that the show was 21+ and everyone needed to have their IDs ready. Then he looked at my friends and I, said "come on, guys, show this man your ID..." We dutifully gave our ID's and he looked at them, then us, then said "You look 21 to me", handed back our IDs, and waved us in!

Fast forward a few hours and the show was over and my buddies and I were hanging out waiting to talk to the band. Apparently word got around, cause Victor came out and talked to us and already knew that we were "the underage kids that drove 3hrs" to see them play. He was fantastically kind and gracious!

I saw them again about a year later in Austin at Stubbs BBQ (still my favorite bottled BBQ sauce). Unfortunately, I didn't get to chat with the band at that show.

Finally, they were in Taos, NM with Howard Levy in 2019 and my wife and I went and made a weekend of it. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but they put on a fantastic (outdoor) show. I REALLY wanted to hang out after the show and talk to Victor and see if he remembered the El Rey show in '98, but the rain was coming down and my wife was ready to get dry and warm, so we headed back to the hotel. That was probably right during the time the Victor was really being affected by the focal dystonia, but he still put on an amazingly entertaining show. I remember thinking it felt like fewer notes and more groove than ever before.

As an aside, it's been a while, but I've played the El Rey Theater a few times, too. Those were fun experiences after my memories of the Flecktones.

 

[Dincrest]

Looks like it's from 2 years ago. I saw him on the Bass Extremes tour a few months ago with Steve Bailey. He was definitely affected. Still VERY impressive. Even with focal dystonia, the dude can still do significantly more than most healthy bass players.

And he's not the only one. I read an article that Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse has focal dystonia too and he's still one of the most monstrous players in metal.

(And, for fun, here's a vid from 2013 where Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, and Alex Webster have a fun jam. )

 

[tb-player]

And he's not the only one. I read an article that Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse has focal dystonia too and he's still one of the most monstrous players in metal.

(And, for fun, here's a vid from 2013 where Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, and Alex Webster have a fun jam. )

I first heard of focal dystonia when Scott Devine from Scott's Bass Lessons was explaining why he wears those cotton gloves. Apparently for him, the touch of the gloves on his hands negates the symptoms of the condition. Pretty wild.

 

[Low Down Brown]

The only time I saw Victor Wooten on the screen before seeing him live was the Flecktones' Lonesome Pine Special performance.

Oooooooohhhhhh man....talk about a bass master class! I think I was 14 or 15 when I saw that the first time. I had no idea who Ray Brown, Edgar Meyer, or Victor Wooten were at that point, but I definitely knew who they were after. That show is 100% responsible for my journey down the slap bass rabbit hole and for my venturing into the world of DB.

 

[Les Fret]

That was a cool solo. Nothing wrong with that tone if you ask me.
One thing to consider is that if you play solistic stuff with many notes and chord stuff like Victor usually does, you don't want a bass heavy tone. You need a bit thinner sound in order to make it not sound messy.

 

[JonathanPDX]

I could spend all day telling stories about Vic; I first saw him live back in 1998. I went to my first Bass Camp in 2002, then 3 more as a student and 1 as a teacher back in 2019. I can't even guess how many times I've seen him live, in every possible band, configuration, and venue. All his "solo" bands, subbing with Mike Stern, the Flecktones (Levy and Coffin lineups), etc.

There is not a nicer, kinder, or more generous person in the biz. I've seen him stay late after so many shows, even holding up the bus, just so he could chat with every fan, sign every autograph, and answer every question. We've joked that I've heard him do so many Q&A's I could probably answer the questions for him. But he never blows anyone off and treats everybody with respect, whether they're an old friend or the 100,000th 14-year-old kid asking how to slap the bass.

When you look on career and impact, there are few players who have changed the game like Vic. There are probably a million bass players who either started or improved because of his contributions to the bass world. And he's still out there not only pushing others to get better, but pushing himself. You'll never see him coasting on a gig; he's always adding stuff, finding harder and harder ways to play even as his hand issue is giving him trouble.

Even if he wasn't a monster soloist with all the chops in the world he'd still be one of the most influential bass players out there.