Flecktones bassist talks about his album Trypnotyx, collaborating with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller and more
Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
December 18, 2017
By David Sands
Victor Wooten may be one of the most decorated bassists around. The five-time Grammy winner holds every major bass player award out there—and was even voted one of the Top Ten Bassists of All Time in 2011 by Rolling Stone magazine.
At the end of the day, though, it’s the music that matters. And Wooten has been a trailblazer, winning over crowds and critics with his wildly innovative playing as the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Prior to breaking through with that iconoclastic bluegrass-jazz outfit in the late ‘80s, though, Wooten was a musical prodigy, opening up for Curtis Mayfield with his family band, the Wooten Brothers, when he was just six years old and sharing the stage with acts like the Temptations and Frankie Beverly and Maze during his high school years.
In addition to handling the low tones for the Flecktones, he’s played with the Vital Tech Tones and the Bass Extremes and is a member of the bass supergroup S.M.V., which also features Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke. A multi-instrumentalist, who composes, produces and sings, he’s released 10 solo albums as well, the most recent of which is Trypnotyx, released earlier this year.
Beyond that, Wooten is an instructor, who’s taught summer bass workshops at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and runs Victor Wooten’s Center for Music and Nature, a 147-acre retreat in Tennessee where students learn about music and connect with the outdoors. As if that isn’t enough, he’s also the author of numerous books and DVD’s, including The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music.
FBPO’s Jon Liebman spoke with the celebrated bassist about new releases, future projects, gear and more during a recent appearance at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Watch Victor’s interview here!
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The Victor Wooten Bass Workshop book is available in the FBPO store:
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