Wooten brings bass to the Ark

The departure of harmonica and piano player Howard Levy from the genre-dodging band Béla Fleck & the Flecktones in 1993 may actually stand as a turning point for the electric bass.

Reduced to a trio, the group was forced to redefine itself and the resulting reconfiguration featured a more prominent role for Victor Wooten's bass playing. Meanwhile, word of mouth spread fantastic myths of Wooten's extended bass solos at Flecktone concerts.

In 1996, Wooten released his first solo recording, "A Show of Hands." The album included neither a band or overdubs, just Victor and his bass guitar with a vocal track or two. Its bold insistence that the bass can function as a solo instrument was groundbreaking and Wooten's display of technique, lyricism and brash evasion of convention stands as a defining moment for the bass. Anyone seeking a deeper appreciation for the word 'virtuoso' need only listen to the track "Classical Thump."

Courtesy of Compass Records A member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor Wooten also holds his own as a solo artist.

Less concerned with advancing the solo status of his instrument on his second album "What Did He Say?," Wooten presented less of his awe inspiring chops and employed a number of guest musicians to develop a well-rounded tonal and dynamic spectrum.

Wooten's latest endeavor, "Yin-Yang," attempts to flesh out his musicianship further with another host of guests, from Dave Mathews drummer Carter Beauford and George Clinton collaborator Bootsy Collins to three of Wooten's brothers. The album is a mixed bag of tunes that duck between highlights of Wooten's instrumental proficiency, P-Funk evocations and smooth jazz radio-ready disappointments.

The recording's brightest spot is the song "Kaila Speaks," in which Wooten plays a tape of his 13-month-old daughter's baby talk. As the tape is repeated, he provides musical accompaniment to Kaila's speech, transforming what formerly sounded like gibberish into an intriguing tune. More than a gimmick, the song's touching moment of communication between father and daughter is astonishing evidence of music functioning as language.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of the album finds Wooten's goal to broaden his music's scope and sensibility doing just the opposite. "Yin-Yang" proves that he is a more than competent composer, who continues to hone his song-writing skills. His singing is average and the album's forays into rap, for the sake of preserving good taste, are better left unmentioned. It seems a shame that Wooten's ability to play the bass like a wrecking crew might be lost in his pursuit of becoming a musical Renaissance-man.

Tonight, Wooten will bring drummer J.D. Blair and his brothers Regi and Joe, on guitar and keyboards respectively, to The Ark. Here's to hoping that a live setting will bring a little more of that bass and a little less of everything else.

10-13-99