The day four Wooten brothers placed a bass guitar in their youngest sibling’s tiny, 2-year-old hands, they invoked the calling that guided him to become a critically acclaimed musician.
Victor Wooten, the five-time Grammy-winning bassist, composer, author and producer performed at the Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans on Wednesday.
Wooten initially learned to play music from his brothers and performed with them for nearly half his life.
“Right around age five, for me, was when we actually started doing gigs, shows and even some tours,” Wooten said.
Wooten shared stages with artists like Curtis Mayfield, Stephanie Mills and War and The Temptations. This preceded Wooten’s work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, which included world-renowned banjo player Béla Fleck and Wooten’s brother Roy “Future Man” Wooten on percussions.
Wooten also pursued a solo career where he collaborated with prominent artists such as jazz musician Stanley Clarke to produce an extensive solo discography.
But Wednesday night, Wooten performed as part of a tour featuring his latest two-album release of “Words and Tones” and “Sword and Stone.” He described “Words and Tones” as a vocal record and “Sword and Stone” as an instrumental record.
“I started out with the idea of doing a record featuring female vocalists, and I wanted the female vocalists to be able to write some of the lyrics, so they could sing things that were true to them,” he said of “Words and Tones.” “When I was recording the music, I would put melodies on the songs so I could send them to the vocalists, and then putting the melodies on the songs, I realized I really liked the songs as instrumentals. So I ended up doing two separate CDs.”
Wooten said this allows listeners to choose whichever version they prefer, or both. Of each record’s 14 songs, 11 are similar, with varied arrangements and sometimes different musicians.
“Words and Tones” also features his 14-year-old daughter Kaila as a vocalist, who Wooten said has been featured on nearly all of his records since her infancy.
“As soon as we heard her heart beat, I put her on my second record,” he said.
Wooten’s children provide a significant part of his reasoning for forming Vix Records, which released his two most recent albums and other works.
“It’s a lot of extra work, but I think it pays off in the end, because I’m in control of my own music — totally,” he said. “Over the years, I kind of got a little bit fed up with record labels and how they don’t operate in the best interests of the artist who’s actually creating the product.”
Wooten has guided more people than just his children during his career. With Vix Camps at Wooten Woods, he helps young musicians hone skills in any instrument. These camps began 13 years ago to help aspiring bassists, but in the past four years, the camps have grown to include lessons and opportunities for any musician or vocalist.
But with camps scheduled for 2013, Wooten is focused on his current tour, which he will co-headline with Widespread Panic guitarist Jimmy Herring beginning in November. Wooten said he has been a big fan of Herring, particularly in his work with Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
He’s also excited about how his own band has been operating throughout the course of his tour so far.
“One of the really exciting things is how my band is working, the way a lot of us are playing multiple instruments throughout the show,” Wooten said.
Ultimately, Wooten enjoys knowing that people want him to share his experiences, whether through his performances or lessons.
“My mother always alluded to the fact that if what we’re doing is not helping the world, is it really worth doing it?” he said. “So the fact that I can do what I love to do, and help other people grow, I don’t know if there’s anything better than that.”
‘My mother always alluded to the fact that if what we’re doing is not helping the world, is it really worth doing it?’
