Victor Wooten is one of the great living bass players. If you’ve never heard of him, or have only listened to only a few of his extensive recordings, I suggest you delve in. You will not be disappointed. In addition to his solo career, Victor Wooten is well known for playing with the incomparable Bela Fleck, and for his collaborations with two other premier bass players of today, Marcus Miler and Stanley Clarke – the three perform together as S.M.V. Give this band a listen if you are into heavy, excellent bass.
What is prompting this post is my recent introduction to a song by Victor Wooten from his album Soul Circus called Bass Tribute. In this song he gives a nod to fellow bass players, or masters of the low end as they are referred to in the song, both those that came before him and a few contemporaries. Some of the major bass players he acknowledges in the song include Jaco Pastorius, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, and the afore mentioned Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. He also mentions by name bass players from some well known bands, like The O’Jays’ Anthony Jackson and the Gap Band’s Robert Wilson, who’s bass lines you definitely recognize, though you may have neglected to remember who played them.
What I find really impressive about this song is the way Wooten imitates the styles of each of these players when he mentions them. Not only can he play in his own unique way, which often sounds like he’s playing with an extra set of hands, but he can also play in the various styles of the world’s greatest bass players past and present. I’ve included the song above, so have a listen.