Swoonin' Wooten at the House of Blues

Victor Wooten and Ying Yang

House of Blues

Oct. 11-12

All those present at the House of Blues last Monday and Tuesday night for Ying Yang, Victor Wooten's solo project, were witness to a unique interplay between a band that loved playing and an audience that loved listening.

Too often, the talents of Wooten are dwarfed by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, for whom he plays bass. (Bela Fleck themselves are all too often merely the opener for bands such as the Dave Matthews Band.) This solo outing reaffirmed his position as the most prolific and talented bassist since Jacko Pastore. The ambience of The House of Blues, with its bas-reliefs of Blues and Jazz greats, enhanced the funky bass-lines and fostered the dialogue between Wooten, the band and his audience. Coming on close to 40 minutes late with his band of a DJ, percussionist, keyboard player and guitar player, Wooten's arrival help goad the crowd (mostly students from the Berklee School of Music) into a frenzy of anticipation. This was an audience ready to learn from the master.

Wooten burst onto the set ferociously with "Are You Going to Have a Good Time Tonight," a mostly improvisational, crowd-inciting number. The love for performance shone in his eyes, and a deliriously happy look stretched across his face when he started slapping and jamming with his instruments.

Both nights were filled with the interplay between audience and Wooten's band and their improvisational skills. Wooten proclaimed upon opening his set Tuesday night that "we are going to have fun, play a lot of stuff, and we don't know exactly what we're going to do, but we'll have fun."

And have fun he did. Wooten's masterful control over his instrument, coupled with his audience communication made each song unique. Wooten played all of his best material, from an almost beautifully tear-inducing "Amazing Grace" to "Norwegian Wood" to a funky version of "I Feel Alright." Monday night's break brought out the mellower, funkier side of Wooten. He played James Brown the way only he could, playing chords and thematic progressions in different time. Then, on Tuesday night, Wooten jammed for close to four hours and played four encores.

Wooten came back weaker after his mid-set break on both nights, but he recovered for the encore. The weakness stemmed from minor problems with the band's talent level, which can be attributed to an attempt to be inclusive. Wooten's band contained both his middle brother Joseph, a keyboard player, and Regi, his oldest brother and a guitarist. Joseph's cheesy pop material was irritating, especially his "Hero" from 1987, but Wooten recovered thanks to his improvisational wizardry.

Joseph did, however, make the crowd feel involved with his comments and his enthusiasm. His use of a radio antenna to produce sounds was also surprisingly clever. Regi's guitar brought Victor's desire for responsive improvisation to a lesser height of majesty, for Regi had technique without ear; at one point, Regi was horribly sharp and only turned the pegs up more, producing a grating sound and a disturbing cacophony amidst Victor's clever performance. The drummer, J.D. Blaine, amazed and amused. Even one beat of his drum prompted audience response; he possessed a zany aura that fed into Victor's desire for fun and crazy musical progression. The band's DJ also kept the crowd going, playing Jackson 5 and old school hip-hop, with Wooten's contributions. The combination of the DJ and Wooten brought out some of Wooten's best slapping technique.

The artistry of Wooten emerged to the moving, dancing, and grooving of a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and appreciative audience. Going to have a good time tonight? The crowd certainly did, and Wooten certainly had his fun.