Victor Wooten looms large over the world of music. The virtuosic bassist is more than just a consensus “greatest of all time” candidate; he’s a born student of the world, and shaman-like teacher of his craft.
In addition to his solo albums, trio tours, work with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and beyond, Wooten has taken on the mantle of educating the world not just about the bass guitar, but also about about the nature of music as a whole and its importance as a form of artistic and linguistic expression; More than half a million people have taken in his TED talk about approaching learning music as a language rather than as a skill. And while he’s seen by many as a towering figurehead in the world of music, he exercises his massive influence without ego. He helps spread his unique musical gospel to the younger generations through both lecture and performance by hosting and frequenting intimate, small-scale camps and clinics, despite the fact that his prodigious abilities could easily warrant space on much larger, more prominent stages.
INTERVIEW: Victor Wooten Discusses Music As An Art Of Expression
At one such summit, a free 2012 Bass Clinic held at MaKo Music, Wooten made the trek to the Mechanicsville, VA music school to participate and educate the young students. A video from that 30-minute session has made the rounds on YouTube since, racking up more than 6M views. The clip shows Wooten performing a solo bass rendition of Stevie Wonder hit “Isn’t She Lovely” that shatters conventional ideas of just how lovely a bass guitar can sound–standing under a small, white tent as a notably small gaggle of listeners looks on.
As the video description notes, “It should be pointed out that this was at 8am Sunday morning, and during a torrential downpour. Victor showed up, picked up the bass, and absolutely shredded for about 30 minutes straight. Then he answered some questions from the crowd, and was just a great guy all around. He also signed a bass I brought.” In juxtaposing Wooten’s exuberant, jaw-dropping performance with the small, damp, early-morning crowd looking on, the video takes on a particularly striking ambiance: There’s no stage too big–or too small–for Victor Wooten to showcase what makes him truly one-of-a-kind.
Watch Victor Wooten’s unforgettable solo bass rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” below via YouTube user Músicas: