Artist:     Charlie Wooton Project

Album:     Blue Basso

Label:     Wild Heart

Release Date:     8.23.2019

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Charlie Wooton’s name compels me to begin with a personal anecdote. Attending my niece’s beach wedding in San Jose’ del Cabo, Mexico that past January, I was approached after dinner with a question – “Do you know who Charlie Wooton is?” I responded that he was one of the best bassists in the world to which came the reply, “He and his band, ZydeFunk, are the band that’s playing.” Surely, Wooton and company had the wedding party—many of them jam band aficionados—dancing almost instantly to a mix of Motown, NOLA grooves, and, of course jam band, in a spectacular beach setting. My recollection, albeit perhaps a bit foggy from tequila and beer, is that the core unit on this new recording played in that same band, certainly the vocalist Arsene Delay. The others are guitarist Daniel Groover, drummer Jermal Watson, and keyboardist Keiko Komaki. Fate smiled and now we have this eclectic album.

Wooton grew his own fan base from stints with Royal Southern Brotherhood, The New Orleans Suspects and to a lesser degree with Zydefunk. He is indeed recognized as a master of his craft and this project is a dedication of sorts to the late innovative bassist Jaco Pastorious, considered by many the “Hendrix” of the bass guitar. As such, this is an exercise in several genres ranging from funk and fusion to blues and R&B. Blue Basso takes its name after Wooton’s favorite blue bass guitar, one that he played that night at the beach.

The other aspect of the various styles are contributions from notable guests. Sonny Landreth plays on both “Front Porch” and “Tell Me a Story,” fellow NOLA great Anders Osborne on “One Night,” and PFunk guitarist Eric McFadden on a cover of the Stones’ “Miss You.” Lap steel guitarist Damon Fowler appears on “I Don’t Know” and Living Colour’s Doug Wimbish joins Wooton on the dual bass guitar tribute to Jaco, “Jaceaux” which opens the record. Interestingly, executive producers are Samantha Fish and Reuben Williams, co-owners of Wild Heart Records. The producer is guitarist Groover.

“Reflections” and “I Don’t Know” are R&B tunes featuring the soulful, alluring vocals of Delay, who has terrific range and presence, the latter imbued with Fowler’s solo. “Come On Come Over” also has Delay vocalizing on a funk number composed by Pastorious while “Dimenote” is an instrumental funk workout featuring expressive dialogue between Wooton, guitarist Groover, and drummer Watson. The ballad “One Night” is a clear standout, matching Delay’s wailing vocals with Osborne’s emotive guitar. “Fulton Alley” is a funky groove, heavy with Komaki’s stellar B3 work. As you might expect the two blues tracks, “Tell Me a Story” and “Front Porch,” the only acoustic tunes, feature Landreth’s signature slide with Delay’s vocals.

Fans of funk, fusion, and wonderful R&B vocals will enjoy this set. Oh, and there’s the robust tone of Wooton’s bass playing which can be melodic, creative, unpredictable, and always driving the beat. By all means, go ahead and dance.

—Jim Hynes