[pauliejay]

Submission courtesy of smashamp47

Artist: Victor LeMonte Wooten
Album: A Show of Hands



February 20, 1996
Compass Records

Victor Wooten is one of the most celebrated electric bassists of all time. His secret seems to lie in doing his own thing, breaking boundaries and defying categorization along the way.

Victor's performances as a member of the Grammy-award winning Béla Fleck and the Flecktones have gained him the adoration of bass players worldwide. He was awarded a 1999 Nashville Music Award for Bassist of the Year and in 1998, he received his third Bass Player of the Year award from Bass Player Magazine and was named one of the Top 10 Bass Innovators of the '90s by the same magazine. Also in 1998, Vic won his second Grammy (Best Instrumental Composition for Almost 12 from The Flecktones album Left of Cool) and Down Beat magazine voted him Talent Most Deserving Wider Recognition.

While Victor can name dozens of bass players who have been influential - - from Bootsy Collins; Larry Graham to Stanley Clarke, and Motown's James Jamerson to Jaco Pastorius- - "overall it's about the music. Bass is just my way of playing the music."

Victor Wooten demonstrates his bass prowess on his debut solo recording, "A Show of Hands." His astounding slap technique is shown best in songs such as "Me and My Bass Guitar," "Classical Thump," and "U Cant Hold No Groove" just to name a few. Also, there is almost no percussion used on this album. All of the grooves are laid down by Victor himself. Even though Victor can slap like no other, on this album he chooses not to boast this technique all of the time. A few slower songs such as "Vision" and "Overjoyed" to name a couple, show his ear for a beautiful melody. One of the main accomplishments of Victor's is the fact that he helped finish the view of Jaco Pastorius which was to bring the bass guitar out as a solo and melody instrument as well as a background one.

Victor Wooten's solo debut "A Show of Hands," put him up with names of his influences such as Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. Even though he is following in their footsteps by playing virtuosic bass guitar, he has created his own way of playing music.

[pooponabagel]

I heard this guy with the Flecktones on teh album "Little Worlds" and he's pretty awesome

[AcousticSmash]

Wooten is a monster bassist, although he shouldnt have ripped off the Rush album of the same name which was made in 80's.

[telarc]

Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten – each a powerful force of nature in his own right – have done more in recent decades to redefine the electric bass and push the limits of its potential than any other musician alive today. When these three titans – collectively known as S.M.V. – converge on the low frequencies, the results are no less than earth shaking. Thunder, their debut collaboration set for release on August 12, 2008, is a high-energy phenomenon whose impact is guaranteed to resonate throughout every corner of the jazz world.
http://www.concordmu...albums/HUCD3163