An Interview with Victor Wooten

by Kevin Johnson

Fifteen years ago, Victor Wooten released a solo electric bass album that inspired countless bassists to push themselves to new limits. Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a “best of” or “reader’s choice” list of top bassists without him.

Victor is a busy bassist, teacher, and more recently, record label owner. We caught up with him during one of his stops on the Spring Road Trip Summer 2011 tour with Stanley Clarke, to discuss his new album, label, the Flecktones, his camps, and his career so far.

What is it about bass that keeps you playing every day?

I would say it’s less and less about bass as I get older, and it’s more and more about music and connecting with people. It’s almost like you having a bass voice or a tenor voice. It’s not so much about the pitch of your voice that keeps you talking. It’s about having something to say and communicating with people. I just happen to do it on a bass. And I like the bass in general, because the bass is designed as a support role by nature. The whole role of our instrument is made to make other people sound good and make other people feel comfortable, so I like that just from the nature of the instrument. But I would say not even that keeps me going every day… I think it’s just the relationship with the people, you know? Because I’d probably do it anyway, but probably not every day if I wasn’t doing it on tour. So I think it’s the people… the people that come to hear it. I hadn’t thought of it… [that] was a good question.

You just released A Show Of Hands 15. Tell us a little about what brought that about.

I had originally planned on releasing or recording another strictly solo bass record, 10 years after the first one. That’s what I thought. But 10 years came and it didn’t feel necessary to me. It didn’t feel like I needed to make that statement again. For one, because there were many other bass players making that statement and doing it well. You know, Michael Manring had solo bass records and not even all the people were making the bass records but people were capable of it. There were people now doing solo shows… you know, we were meeting people at camps. Steve Bailey actually had a solo bass competition… we heard great stuff. So it just didn’t feel like I needed to do it again.CLICK HERE FOR MORE...