Many times, bass players are those guys in the band that don’t get much attention. Which is not really fair, seeing as there can be no band without a bass (speaking in traditional contemporary western music… you know what I mean).

Well guess what: Victor Wooten just isn’t that guy.

He stands up and screams, “HEY! I’m the freakin’ bass player! Look at me!” Well, not so much literally. But the way that he dominates the art of playing bass is beyond comparison to anyone living on this planet. This guy is the Vlad Horowitz of bass: he can make a bass do things that bend minds. And that’s just speaking of his technique; when it comes to playing the bass like a musical instrument, Victor Wooten plays like no other.

Many are familier with Wooten from his crucial part in Béla Fleck and the Flecktones (see first paragraph…). But for those who have never been aquainted with this master of low thumpin’ grooves and sweet harmonic overtones (!), check out his rendition of Amazing Grace. You’ll see.

Bluegrass kicks ass. Bottom line. There is nothing that is quite as pure as listening to bluegrass for the first time after a long absence. It’s a music that mixes the soulful use of good old fashioned lyricism and damn good musicianship. When’s the last time you heard some Top 25 hack “guitar player” play bluegrass? Thought so. 

It’s also a music that puts things into perspective. In the midst of the current economic crisis, there’s something really good in knowing that we’re a hell of a lot better off than many of previous generations. As the owner of a music store in Waldo who went through the Great Depression recently said to me, “Y’all think you know about a recession? Your generation hasn’t got a clue what ‘recession’ even means. Y’all can start complaining when you’re eatin’ soup broth from an rusty old tin can on the street.”

In the spirit that music conquers all, I’ve selected Hard Time Blues on the album Rivers by the Scott Anderson Band as my song of the week. The Scott Anderson Band is a bluegrass band based in North Florida, and they’ve got plenty of the talent that bluegrass takes. Hard Time Blues is no exception, and those awesome close harmonies in the chorus and the tasteful musicianship make this a keeper. 

(Although I can’t provide an eMusic or iTunes link, I can give you this link to Scott Anderson’s site on CD Baby – giving you samples of his music and mp3 downloads. Check it out.)