Victor Wooten
Encyclopedia
Victor Lemonte Wooten is an American
bass player, composer, author, and producer
, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Award
s.
Wooten has won the "Bass Player of the Year" award from Bass Player
magazine three times in a row, and was the first person to win the award more than once. In addition to a solo career and collaborations with various artists, Wooten has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
since the group's formation in 1988.
In 2008, Wooten joined Stanley Clarke
and Marcus Miller
to record an album. The trio of bassists, under the name SMV
, released Thunder
in August 2008 and began a supporting tour the same month.
Wooten was also a judge for the 4th annual Independent Music Awards
to support independent artists' careers.
, among others.
When his family moved east, they continued to hone their skills. His brothers began a residency at Busch Gardens
. When his brother Roy asked if Victor could learn the fiddle
to play with them on quick notice, he complied, adding another instrument to his repertoire.
basses, of which he has a signature model. His most famous Fodera, a 1983 Monarch Deluxe which he refers to as "number 1", sports a Kahler Tremolo System
model 2400 bridge. Fodera's "Yin Yang" basses (designed/created for Wooten) incorporate the Yin Yang symbol
- which Wooten often uses in various media - as a main focal point of the top's design and construction. It is often mistakenly thought that the Yin Yang symbol is painted onto the bass, but in reality, the symbol is created from two pieces of naturally finished wood (Ebony and Holly, for example), fitted together to create the Yin-Yang pattern.
Though Wooten's basses receive much attention, his most frequent and consistent response when asked by his fans about his equipment (or equipment in general) is that "the instrument doesn't make the music ... you do". He'll often go on to state that the most important features to look for in a bass are comfort and playability. During a question and answer session at a 1998 concert, Wooten stated that "If you take a newborn baby and put them on the instrument, they're going to get sounds out of it that I can't get out of it, so we're all the best." This philosophy seems closely related to Wooten's approach to music in general, which is that music is a language. According to Wooten, while speaking or listening, one doesn't focus on the mouth as it is forming words; similarly, when a musician is playing or performing the focus shouldn't be on the instrument.
As well as playing electric bass (both fretted and fretless) and the double bass, Victor also played the cello
in high school. He still plays cello occasionally with the Flecktones. This is the instrument to which he attributes his musical training.
With Bass Extremes
With Vital Tech Tones
With The Wootens
With Greg Howe
With SMV
With Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bass player, composer, author, and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
Wooten has won the "Bass Player of the Year" award from Bass Player
Bass Player (magazine)
Bass Player is a popular magazine for bassists. Each issue offers a variety of artist interviews, lessons, equipment reviews, and a complete transcribed bass line from a popular song...
magazine three times in a row, and was the first person to win the award more than once. In addition to a solo career and collaborations with various artists, Wooten has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
since the group's formation in 1988.
In 2008, Wooten joined Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
and Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
to record an album. The trio of bassists, under the name SMV
SMV (band)
SMV is a bass supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the first initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten...
, released Thunder
Thunder (SMV album)
Thunder is the debut album from bass supergroup SMV. The album was released on August 12, 2008.-Track listing:# "Maestros de Las Frecuencias Bajas" – 2:52# "Thunder" – 6:37...
in August 2008 and began a supporting tour the same month.
Wooten was also a judge for the 4th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
to support independent artists' careers.
Early life
Born to Dorothy and Pete Wooten, Victor is the youngest of the five Wooten Brothers, the other four being Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph Wooten, all of whom are musicians. At age two, brother Regi began to teach Victor to play bass, and by the age of six, Victor was playing in front of crowds with his brothers in their family band, The Wooten Brothers Band, and toured supporting Curtis MayfieldCurtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
, among others.
When his family moved east, they continued to hone their skills. His brothers began a residency at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of Blackstone Group. One of the parks is in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the other is in Tampa, Florida...
. When his brother Roy asked if Victor could learn the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
to play with them on quick notice, he complied, adding another instrument to his repertoire.
Instruments
Wooten is most often seen playing FoderaFodera
Fodera is an American manufacturer of electric bass guitars. Fodera Basses are made in the Fodera Shop in Brooklyn, New York. Vinnie Fodera and Joey Lauricella started their own company around 1983 after dissolving their working relationship with Ken Smith Basses. The company also manufactures a...
basses, of which he has a signature model. His most famous Fodera, a 1983 Monarch Deluxe which he refers to as "number 1", sports a Kahler Tremolo System
Kahler Tremolo System
The Kahler Tremolo System is an electric guitar bridge with a cam operated vibrato arm system. It was invented in 1979 by Gary Kahler and Dave Storey...
model 2400 bridge. Fodera's "Yin Yang" basses (designed/created for Wooten) incorporate the Yin Yang symbol
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
- which Wooten often uses in various media - as a main focal point of the top's design and construction. It is often mistakenly thought that the Yin Yang symbol is painted onto the bass, but in reality, the symbol is created from two pieces of naturally finished wood (Ebony and Holly, for example), fitted together to create the Yin-Yang pattern.
Though Wooten's basses receive much attention, his most frequent and consistent response when asked by his fans about his equipment (or equipment in general) is that "the instrument doesn't make the music ... you do". He'll often go on to state that the most important features to look for in a bass are comfort and playability. During a question and answer session at a 1998 concert, Wooten stated that "If you take a newborn baby and put them on the instrument, they're going to get sounds out of it that I can't get out of it, so we're all the best." This philosophy seems closely related to Wooten's approach to music in general, which is that music is a language. According to Wooten, while speaking or listening, one doesn't focus on the mouth as it is forming words; similarly, when a musician is playing or performing the focus shouldn't be on the instrument.
As well as playing electric bass (both fretted and fretless) and the double bass, Victor also played the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
in high school. He still plays cello occasionally with the Flecktones. This is the instrument to which he attributes his musical training.
Discography
Solo- A Show of HandsA Show of Hands (Victor Wooten)A Show of Hands is the first album released by bass virtuoso Victor Wooten. The album features bass guitar with only the accompaniment of vocals...
(1996) - What Did He Say?What Did He Say?-Track listing:1. "Yo Victa" – 0:072. "What Did He Say?" – 3:20*Victor Wooten - Bass, Lead and background vocals*JD Blair - Drums, Background vocals*Cherokee - Background vocals3. "What You Won't Do for Love" – 4:43*Victor Wooten - Bass*JD Blair - Drums4...
(1997) - Yin-YangYin-Yang (album)Yin-Yang is the third album released by Victor Wooten.The track "Pretty Little Lady" has a vocal line that was recorded backwards and then played in reverse, so that it appears to sound normal...
(1999) - Live in America (2001)
- Soul CircusSoul CircusSoul Circus is the fifth album by Victor Wooten, released in 2005. Wooten claims he took inspiration from what played in radio stations in the 70s, so most songs have lyrics to them.-Track listing:#"Intro: Adam" – 0:09...
(2005) - PalmysteryPalmysterypalmystery is the fifth studio album from American Jazz bassist Victor Wooten.-Track listing:#"2 Timers" - #"Cambo" - #"I Saw God" - #"The Lesson" - #"Left, Right & Center" - #"Sifu" - #"Miss U" -...
(2008) - A Show of Hands - 15 (2011)
With Bass Extremes
- Cookbook (1998)
- Just Add Water (2000)
With Vital Tech Tones
- Vital Tech Tones (1998)
- Vital Tech Tones 2 (2000)
With The Wootens
- The Wootens (1985)
With Greg Howe
Greg Howe
Gregory "Greg" Howe is an American guitarist and composer. As an active musician for nearly thirty years, he has released nine studio albums in addition to collaborating with a wide variety of artists.-Recording career:...
- ExtractionExtraction (album)-Personnel:*Greg Howe – electric guitar, guitar synthesizer, keyboard, production*David Cook – keyboard solos*Dennis Chambers – drums*Victor Wooten – bass guitar*John Grant – engineering*Mark Gifford – engineering, mixing*Tony Gross – mixing...
(2003)
With SMV
- ThunderThunder (SMV album)Thunder is the debut album from bass supergroup SMV. The album was released on August 12, 2008.-Track listing:# "Maestros de Las Frecuencias Bajas" – 2:52# "Thunder" – 6:37...
(2008) (with Stanley ClarkeStanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
and Marcus MillerMarcus MillerMarcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
, as SMVSMV (band)SMV is a bass supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the first initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten...
)
With Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
- Béla Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
(1990) - Flight of the Cosmic HippoFlight of the Cosmic HippoFlight of the Cosmic Hippo is the second album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1991. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album title came from an audience member who suggested "Flight of the Codeine Hippo" as a name for the title track...
(1991) - UFO TofuUFO TofuUFO Tofu is the third album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1992. The title is a palindrome, which is also a musical theme in the title track, according to the album's liner notes.- Reception :...
(1992) - Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestThree Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestThree Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the fourth album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1993. It is the band's only release as a trio, after the departure of Howard Levy but before the arrival of Jeff Coffin.- Reception :...
(1993) - Live ArtLive ArtLive Art is the fifth album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and their first non-studio album. It was recorded live at various concerts between 1992 and 1996 and features ten guest musicians....
(1996) - Left of CoolLeft of CoolLeft of Cool is the fifth studio album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1998.-History:Left of Cool is the first album to feature Jeff Coffin, who had already toured with the band after the departure of Howard Levy...
(1998) - Greatest Hits of the 20th CenturyGreatest Hits of the 20th CenturyGreatest Hits of the 20th Century is the seventh album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and their first greatest hits compilation album.- Reception :...
(1999) - OutboundOutboundOutbound is the eighth album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 2000. It is the band's first album on the Sony/Columbia label. The album won Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards....
(2000) - Live at the QuickLive at the QuickLive at the Quick is the ninth album released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and their second live album. It was recorded live at the Quick Center For The Arts in Fairfield, Connecticut in 2000.- Reception :...
(2002) - Little WorldsLittle WorldsLittle Worlds is the tenth album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 2003. The album was released as a 3-disc set. Ten tracks from the set were also released on a single disc called Ten from Little Worlds....
(2003) - Ten From Little Worlds (2003)
- The Hidden LandThe Hidden LandThe Hidden Land is the eighth studio album and twelfth album overall released by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 2006. It was recorded before the band's year-long hiatus during 2005 and released afterward...
(2006) - Jingle All the WayJingle All the Way (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album)Jingle All the Way is a Christmas album and the thirteenth album overall by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Released in 2008 under Rounder, it marks the band's first record since their departure from Columbia. Jingle All the Way reached #1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart, the group's first album...
(2008) - Rocket ScienceRocket Science (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album)Rocket Science is a studio album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 2011. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and number 36 on the Top Independent Albums chart....
(2011)