Victor Wooten
Palmestery
Heads Up
By George W. Harris

Bassist Victor Wooten has made a name for himself playing with the likes of Bela Fleck, Mike Stern and, lately, Chick Corea. His own solo discs are usually a family affair with lots of good old fashioned funk reminiscent of Sly and the Family Stone(d). His latest solo release, while still including a healthy portion of toe tapping tunes, also and finally gives some room for Wooten to stretch out a bit and display his formidable chops. Never in a self indulgent manner, Wooten lays out some incredible solos on the likes of “The Lesson”, “Flex”, and “Left, Right and Center”, which also includes Mike Stern on the six stringer. Spirituality is also addressed on the pan-religious “I Saw God”, which will raise a few eyebrows, and hopefully get people talking about jazz as epistemology. More orthodox in tone, “The Gospel” is a deeply moving tribute to the roots of jazz, the church. Keb Mo’ joins in on the cooking “Us2”, closing the disc on a muscular note. Wooten’s band is on tour, and judging by the tunes here, it promises to be a must see.