By Editor, Jake Kot
In one of our earlier issues I raised a question to our staff
members---that being, who do you feel has more or less carried the
torch since Jaco as far as "innovation" on the bass is concerned. Many
names came up as opinions flowed in and everyone mentioned absolutely
deserved the praise they received. But the name most prevalent in those
responses was Victor Wooten. Considering the stature of the players we
have on staff, it was quite a compliment to Victor, as well as all
others mentioned.
It would be easy for me to sing Victor's praises with all that he has
brought to us musically in so many ways, but beyond that, I find it
interesting and noteworthy that literally "everyone" I've spoke to
about Victor makes the point that not only is he a great musician, but
a great human being as well, and after a lengthy interview with him, I
got to truly see the depth of this mans character and his passion for
his art. I can easily understand why so many people see him as much
more than just his player persona.
Not all great "artists" are great "communicators", but Victor shines in
this area, and has no problem presenting a much greater picture to
consider and embrace as far as living and working as an artist, and
then tying all that together to become a better human being as well.
I know you'll enjoy hearing his thoughts, and in my humble opinion, the
odds of reading this article and not sitting back and reevaluating
"some" aspect of your artistic quest are very small.
Jake: I have to tell you that when I was preparing my questions for
you, one of the first things that came to mind is your philosophy on
music as a language. I feel your presentation on this subject helps
give players a better perspective on what's truly involved in our role
as an artist/musician. Could you elaborate on this premise of music as
a "language"?
Victor: I haven't yet met a musician that doesn't agree that music is a
language. One of the things to consider is that when we compare the
two, music and language, we realize that they really serve the same
purpose. In a nutshell, they are both forms of communication. They're
both forms of expression. It's a way of getting something that's inside
of us out, and a lot of times the purpose is to convey a message or
feeling to someone else, and the other person usually understands what
we're saying.
The cool thing about music is people are allowed to interpret in their
own way, and there's not the same misunderstanding of the individual
words that we experience in language, as in English. But for the most
part I believe that they serve the same purpose as a form of
expression, a form of communication. Like I said before, it's rare that
I've met a musician that doesn't agree that music is a language, to the
point where we call it the universal language. I can go anywhere in the
world and not speak the verbal language, but we can pick up instruments
and instantly communicate like we've known each other forever.
