VICTOR WOOTEN — Yin-Yang (1999) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There's little question that Victor Wooten is an ambitious musician. That was evident from his first two records, but Yin-Yang easily reaches farther than any album he has yet made. Spanning two discs, one instrumental and one vocal, Yin-Yang tries a little bit of everything, all underneath a smooth fusion umbrella. There's a bass showcases, worldbeat fusions, bluegrass jazz, smooth soulful jazz with banjos, full-fledged urban soul, songs based around baby gibberish -- a little bit of everything, all given immaculate, glossy production. That clean production not only makes the record sound accessible, but it makes the eclecticism and unpredictable stylistic fusions sound familiar. Depending on your point of view, that's either a good or a bad thing -- it either means Wooten is welcoming more listeners, or it means that it's not challenging. And that's the strange thing about Yin-Yang -- it's not particularly challenging, yet it is complex and difficult to digest in one sitting. That's largely because there's so much music on the record, but it's also because Wooten's ideas sound better when heard a few cuts at a time. He's a very talented musician and has some great ideas, but a little discipline and editing would make his records more convincing and compelling. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Disc 1 Yin (Instrumental)    45:40
1-1        Imagine This  5:08
Bass [2 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Bass [Fretless] – Steve Bailey
Drums – Kelly Gravely
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards, Piano [Acoustic] – Joseph Wooten
Percussion – Darrell Tibbs
Tenor Saxophone – Jeff Coffin
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-2        Yinin' & Yangin' (Instrumental) 4:36
Bass [3 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums, Programmed By – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-3        Hip Bop 4:03
Bass [2 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Organ – Joseph Wooten
Saxophone – Rudy Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-4        Joe's Journey 5:20
Bass [2 Tracks], Guitar [Steel String], Cello – Victor Wooten
Cello – David Blazer, Michael Kott, Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar [Nylon String] – Regi Wooten
Keyboards, Piano [Acoustic] – Joseph Wooten
Soprano Saxophone – Roger "Rock" Williams
Violin – Billy Contreras, Buddy Spicher
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-5        The Urban Turban 2:42
Bass [5 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Kirk Whalum
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-6        Tali Lama 5:17
Banjo – Tali Ovadia
Bass [2 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Djembe, Shaker – Jim Roberts
Drums – Kelly Gravely
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Percussion – Darrell Tibbs
Snare [Additional] – JD Blair
Vocals – Peter Rowan
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-7        Zenergy 6:46
Banjo – Béla Fleck
Bass [1 Track] – Victor Wooten
Drums – Carter Beauford
Fiddle – Stuart Duncan
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Tenor Saxophone – Jeff Coffin
Written-By – B. Fleck, V. Wooten
1-8        Kaila Speaks 3:00
Bass [Bass, Electric Upright Bass (2 Tracks)] – Victor Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Vocals – Kaila Wooten
Written-By – J. Wooten, V. Wooten
1-9        Sacred Place 3:46
Bass [3 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Percussion – Darrell Tibbs
Written-By – V. Wooten
1-10        Resolution 4:57
Bass [5 Tracks], Guitar – Victor Wooten
Cello – David Blazer, Michael Kott
Drums – Carter Beauford
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Violin – Billy Contreras
Violin, Viola – Buddy Spicher
Vocals – Kathy Chiavola
Written-By – V. Wooten
Disc 2 Yang (Vocal)    44:22
2-1        Hormones In The Headphones 4:06
Backing Vocals – Dobehi "Doobie" Lachaden, Michael Kott, Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards, Piano [Acoustic], Theremin – Joseph Wooten
Vocals, Bass [Bass & Acoustic Bass (8 Tracks)] – Victor Wooten
Written-By – Michael Kott
2-2        Yinin' & Yangin' (Vocal) 5:12
Backing Vocals – Andrea Pizzao, Jonathan Morse, Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Rap – Count Bass D
Vocals, Bass [1 Track] – Victor Wooten
Written-By – Dwight Farrell, JD Blair, J. Morse, V. Wooten
2-3        Kaila Raps 4:42
Bass [8 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Vocals – Kaila Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten
2-4        One 4:54
Bass [4 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Joseph Wooten
Trumpet – Rod McGaha
Vocals – Allyson Taylor
Written-By – V. Wooten
2-5        What Crime Is It? 4:55
Bass, Vocals – Victor Wooten
Drums, Vocals [Additional] – JD Blair
Vocals – Bootsy Collins
Vocals [Additional] – Aseem Hetep, Park Law
Vocals, Bass [7 Tracks] – William "Oui-Wey" Collins
Written-By – Bootsy Collins, JD Blair, V. Wooten, William Collins
2-6        Go Girl Go 3:18
Backing Vocals – Michael Kott
Drums – Jennie Hoeft
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Vocals, Bass [1 Track] – Victor Wooten
Written-By – M. Kott
2-7        Pretty Little Lady 3:34
Backing Vocals – Dobehi "Doobie" Lachaden, Joseph Wooten, Mark "Zeke" Sellers, Michael Kott, Victor Wooten
Drums – Kelly Gravely
Guitar [Funky Wah Wah] – Regi Wooten
Keyboards – Joseph Wooten
Vocals, Bass [1 Track] – Victor Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten
2-8        Hero 4:42
Bass [1 Track] – Victor Wooten
Drums – JD Blair
Guitar – Regi Wooten
Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Joseph Wooten
Percussion – Darrell Tibbs
Tenor Saxophone – Kirk Whalum
Vocals – Tabitha Fair
Written-By – V. Wooten
2-9        Singing My Song 4:43
Backing Vocals – Dobehi "Doobie" Lachaden, Felicia Fett, Holly Wooten, Marci Chittwood
Drums – JD Blair
Vocals – Jonell Mosser
Vocals, Bass [3 Tracks] – Victor Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten
2-10        Think About That 4:09
Bass [1 Track], Programmed By – Victor Wooten
Vocals – Dorothy Wooten
Written-By – V. Wooten

VICTOR WOOTEN — What Did He Say (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

A superb, varied, playfully crafted disc, and an absolutely stunning effort that surpasses expectations. The music varies from funk and rap to a fantastic version of John Coltrane's "Naima," to a beautiful, very different -- yet quite recognizable without being boring -- version of the Lennon/McCartney standard "Norwegian Wood." The shifts of stance, posture, and presentation are at times abrupt but never disconcerting; rather, they provoke thought and reflection. These shifts appear at times between the tracks and at times in the midst of the pieces themselves. The disc is never inaccessible; the combination of jazz and Irish music brings to mind the seemingly ridiculous combinations of Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. The big departure from the first album is that this is not a solo bass album. He uses other instruments, and uses them well. Not to be missed. Bob Gottlieb
Tracklist :
1        Yo Victa    0:06
2        What Did He Say?    3:18
3        What You Won't Do For Love    4:41
4        Cherokee    1:49
5        Don't Wanna Cry    5:05
6        The Loneliest Monk    4:33
7        A Chance    2:53
8        Radio W-OO-10    1:03
9        Norwegian Wood    4:49
10        Bro John    4:16
11        Naima    5:54
12        Sometimes I Laugh    3:19
13        My Life    4:41
14        The Sojourn Of Arjuna    6:24
15        Buzz Intro    0:32
16        A Little Buzz    2:40
17        Kids Didn't Change    0:53
18        Heaven Is Where The Heart Is    5:0
Personnel :
Bagpipes [Uilleann] – Davy Spillane (tracks: 14)
Banjo – Béla Fleck (tracks: 14)
Bass – Oteil Burbridge (tracks: 11)
Bass, Vocals – Victor Wooten
Cymbal – Futch (tracks: 4, 14)
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – James Genus (tracks: 4)
Drums – Raymond Massey (tracks: 4, 14)
Drums, Vocals [Background] – JD Blair (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18)
Guitar – Regi Wooten (tracks: 4, 11, 18)
Handclaps – Kurt Storey (tracks: 10, 13)
Percussion – Jim Roberts (8) (tracks: 11, 14)
Soprano Saxophone – Paul McCandless (tracks: 14)
Tenor Saxophone – Jeff Coffin (tracks: 4)
Trumpet – Rod McGaha (tracks: 4, 14)
Vocals – Ann McCrary (tracks: 5), Robert Bailey (tracks: 5), Elijah "Pete" Wooten (tracks: 10), Royel (tracks: 18)
Vocals, Alto Saxophone – Rudy Wooten (tracks: 4, 18)
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Cherokee (tracks: 2, 4)
Vocals, Handclaps – Holly Wooten (tracks: 10, 18)
Vocals, Piano – Joseph Wooten (tracks: 4, 14, 18)
Voice – Matt Smith (tracks: 8), Michael Kott (tracks: 8)