Last night was my first time seeing / hearing Victor Wooten live. I am a bass fan and to be honest I love the guitar. My love relationship with jazz began with great guitar players. When it comes to the bass it is at the core of this love affair. While I have seen and heard Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke I hadn’t heard Victor. Now that I have heard all three I can say I have been in the presence of the Holy Trinity of Bass Players.
The show was spiritual. You feel the power of the Spirit working through Victor. He is a good person and his music amplifies his angelic presence. While the show was truly moving what impressed me most was his willing to push the envelope. He and his band played a song they hadn’t rehearsed over and over but rather they were introduced to the song during sound check. Victor admitted that this was a new song and this was their first time playing it and there were going to be some mistakes. He was clear you have to go for it, try new stuff and you have to live with the mistakes if you are going to get better.
Victor said, “I would rather us go for something cool and mess up rather than play it safe and play the same way every night.” This spoke volumes to me and my work as well as the gift that is Victor Wooten. Victor isn’t satisfied with what he has created but rather he is always creating new stuff as he pushes the envelope as he delights in the gifts of mistakes. If we are going to grow we have to try new stuff and live with the mess of the creative process of becoming that artist you were created to be. Are you willing to make mistakes as you push your art to the next point on the journey? Are you making enough mistakes are or you playing it safe (pun intended)?
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