CD review - Victor Wooten, Palmystery

Victor Wooten is a master of the bass guitar. He's been an integral part of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (a jazz/bluegrass band) as well as a solo performer. He's often mentioned in the same company as Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke, but his combination of technical brilliance, nuanced performance, and positive attitude make him stand out as a virtuoso.

Palmystery is his latest solo album. It covers a mix of styles, with emphasis on jazz fusion with nods to more of a smooth jazz feel. The flow of songs keeps things interesting as the mood shifts from the modal approach of 2 Timers to the soul jazz of Miss U. Along the way, Wooten even dips into an African pop sound for I Saw God. Throughout the disc, he steps out with some amazingly technical performances that still maintain musicality and heart.

Many funk and rock bass players are familiar with a technique of playing very fast, bass lines with a lot of incidental passing notes that are as much percussion as they are melody. Les Claypool of Primus has built his musical style around this approach. Victor's solo in Song For My Father (right around 3:05) demonstates how he can shift from some sweet melodic playing into this percussive style to kick a song into high gear. This cover of Horace Silver's song is one of the high points of Palmystery.

I Saw God has that South African sound that Paul Simon introduced to America with Graceland. One of the few non-instrumentals on the disc, it has a strong positive humanist message and wonderful backing vocals. A collaboration with Michael Franti on this kind of material would be a joy to listen to.

Even though both those songs are great, the best track is The Lesson, a simple instrumental with just bass and light percussion. It begins with a simple enough descending bass line that has a mild percussive element. It builds complexity and then the melody kicks in. Shut your eyes and slip into the flow of this beautiful piece of music. Some of the speedy percussive pops are just amazing. Though the song is largely contemplative, it evolves to bring in some tension and energy to the middle section. At times, it's hard to believe that this is a single bass with no overdubs.

Oftentimes, Wooten plays in the higher register of the bass, creating a sort of guitar sound. But he still has some big name guitar players sitting in on some songs. Mike Stern, Alvin Lee, and Keb' Mo all lend their talents. So there are all kinds of peaks here. On the other hand, there's only one valley: Happy Song. But that's because I'm not that fond of smooth jazz, which dominates that track.

Pour some fine Syrah and let the peppery fruit complement Victor's bass, with some dark plum notes and a fine spiciness.