Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Lucas Packett
Having missed The Wooten Brothers last tour of Australia in 2023 and hearing such positive feedback, I was keen to finally experience the band live at Memo Music Hall last night and a packed house was happy to join me.
Warming up the crowd perfectly was local singer, songwriter, guitarist Jaron Jay and his band, entertaining the audience with their feel-good funk and RnB rhythms. Whether playing quality originals such as his current single Funkify Your Life or a superb cover of Steely Dan’s Josie, Jaron proved that’s he’s an artist on a steady incline.
The Wooten Brothers casually strolled on stage and opened with a loosener, an extended jazz fusion jam showcasing each others talents, teasing at the greater things to come. Next they launched into the smooth funk of Joseph Wooten’s tune Not Just Religion, followed by the powerful Unity, highlighting the huge array of keyboard tones Joseph was able to extract from his Kong Kronos and Yamaha Motif 7.
The pedigree of this band is off the charts. You’ve got Victor Wooten from Béla Fleck and The Flecktones, who consistently tops the polls of world’s greatest bass players. Brother Joseph (aka Hands of Soul) is on keys and tours regularly with the Steve Miller Band (and played a snippet of Fly Like An Eagle later in the night) and has collaborated with Whitney Houston, Kenny G and George Clinton to name a few. Roy “Futureman” Wooten, a five-time Grammy Award winner, is best known for his masterful drumming and percussion skills and is a founding member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and then there’s Regi, who has performed with many artists including the legendary Ginger Baker. Regi is known worldwide as “The Teacher”. Music history just flows through their veins.
The Wooten Brothers have been playing together most of their lives and consequently are the most intuitive and elastic band you’ll ever see on a stage. They can switch tempos on a dime and have a sixth sense about where each brother is going musically. One thing that really stood out to me however, is their overall manner. Not only have they all reached the heights of musicianship but they’re also the epitome of grace and stage etiquette. They thanked the support act Jaron Jay with some encouraging words, the road crew for setting up and packing down each night and urged continued support of the venue. As each member soloed the other three gathered side stage to admire and acknowledge their brothers’ skill. Musicians in the audience could learn so much from these legends.
Roy, who had been sitting comfortably behind the kit performing his percussive magic then came to front of stage with his Zendrum, an innovative hand held electronic MIDI controller to discharge some solid, tasty beats standing up. Victor then gave the audience what they’d come for, some mind-blowing bass gymnastics, the kind that only he can achieve. No matter which band member took to the spotlight, you just knew that they were going to provide something inventive and beguiling.
The band is eternally playful too, always engaging with the audience, always contributing positive energy to the room. No doubt a fair chunk of the audience were musicians themselves, who marvelled at the ease in which The Wootens could go from soul to swing to jazz fusionend funk on a whim. It was a masterclass of the highest calibre.
Regi’s solo spot included some inspirational tapping and fingerpicking on his trusty Strat. Sweat bands were used as capos, muting the strings, as he utilised his guitar in a percussive fashion. A segue into Sly and Family Stone’s Dance to the Music, featured a scorching guitar solo including some esoteric staccato licks. It really was a sensory overload.
We’re then told that the next song John Coltrane was taught to them by Consuela Lee, aunt of the filmmaker Spike Lee. It was written by acclaimed jazz bassist and composer Bill Lee, who is also famously the father of filmmaker Spike. Displaying yet another shade of their music, they flowed into the gorgeous melody, starring Joseph’s deft piano touch.
Staying in the spotlight, Joseph then took lead vocals on a medley which included Stevie Wonder’s Loves in Need and Elton John’s Your Song, before improvising about 6ft spiders and huge fox bats, riffing into “No Place like Australia”, asking the audience to sing it back and ending with My Cherie Armour. The multi-skilled brothers created such a joyous vibe all night, particularly on the Victor Wooten composition Hero, a beautiful, soulful ballad.
The band then got to demonstrate their incredible tightness on the funky Sweat, one of their more recent recordings. Regi and Victor stepped up alongside each other, playing each others instruments and elevating the already euphoric feeling in the crowd.
With the audience well and truly in the palms of their hands, singing back whatever the band asked, they ripped into an epic version of James Brown’s Get Up (I Feel Like Being ) A Sex Machine, messing with time signatures and generally showing off their ridiculous virtuosity. As the band came together to take their bows, the audience rose as one, acknowledging the superior musicianship and jubilant performance we’d just witnessed.
If you’re a musician, your attendance at a Wooten Brothers concert should be a compulsory excursion, if you’re simply into top quality, soul, funk and RnB then you cannot beat spending a couple of hours with these amazingly skilled performers and spreaders of joy, love and peace. The Wooten Brothers are what we all need right now! Miss them at your peril.
REMAINING AUSTRALIAN DATES:
Wed, Feb 11: Freo Social, Fremantle
Fri, Feb 13: The Gov, Adelaide
Sat, Feb 14: Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Venues are intimate, seats are limited and demand is high – dont miss out.
Tickets are on sale now!
www.gaevents.au
