#406 : Charlie Wooton Project - Blue Basso

2019 – Wild Heart Records
By Phillip Smith; Sep. 1, 2019

Covering artists such as Deanna Bogart, and Billy Pierce the past few years have made me aware of Charlie Wooton’s work as a bassist.  Serving as his tribute to the great Jaco Pastorious, Blue Basso incorporates jazz, funk, R&B, and blues into a tasty concoction of music with a splash of New Orleans charm.  Here, his work stands gracefully in the spotlight getting the full attention it deserves.  The album is a surely a wonderful, musical treat.  With Wooton on bass, the band consists of Daniel Groover on guitar, Jermal Watson on drums, Keiko Komaki on keys, and features the lovely Arséne DeLay on vocals.  Adding to the ‘cool’ factor, appearances from Sonny Landreth, Anders Osborne, Doug Wimbish (Living Colour), Eric McFadden and Damon Fowler also grace this record. 

Wooton starts off with a groovy instrumental called “Jaceaux”.  Komaki is an absolute monster on keys.  Wimbish, whose work includes session work for Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, The Rolling Stones, and Depeche Mode sits in on this track fortifying the song with an extra layer of funk.  “Come On Come Over”, a splendid cover from Jaco’s acclaimed 1976 self-titled album, is delightfully sung by DeLay.  “Dime Note” is fantastic.  I dig the beat Watson throws down on this one as the wonderfully calibrated lead guitar from Groover takes over.  Sonny Landreth breaks out a healthy helping of his signature slide guitar on back-to-back songs, “Tell Me a Story”, and “Front Porch”.  It’s always a pleasure to hear this man play.  The album closes out with a smooth funkified take on the Rolling Stones song, “Miss You”.  This fabulous cut has been a ‘go-to’ song for me this week. 

I appreciate and respect what Wooton is doing with his music.  The jams he builds are juicy and spectacular.  Blue Basso is definitely an album worth checking out.

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For more information about the artist, visit this website :  charliewooton.com  

Billy Pierce - Shapes of Soul

2016 –  Got Slide Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 3, 2016

The tunes on Billy Pierce’s latest album, Shapes of Soul is chock full of New Orleans-rooted jams topped off with some of the best slide guitar around.  Pierce’s band includes the multi-talented bassist/producer Charlie Wooton, drummer Doug Balote, and keyboardist Keiko Komaki.  Special guests include the magnificent trombonists of Bonerama ( Mark Mullins, Craig Klein, and Greg Hicks), Mike Zito, Jason Ricci, Jeff T. Watkins, and Michael Doucet.   

Pierce sings about struggling with money in “Paycheck to Paycheck”, an electric song with a smooth jazz vibe, featuring a terrific performance by the guys in Bonerama.  Harp player Jason Ricci dishes out a captivating performance on “Me and the Misses”.  Title track “Shapes of Soul” is a wondrous instrumental in which Keiko Komaki ‘s piano performance beautifully compliments Pierce’s slide guitar.  “Delta Queen”, a torch song for the southern man is immersed in a cool groove and slathered with scrumptious slide as well.  The contrasting guitars from Zito and Pierce sound amazing on “Tears of Joy”.  I love the way this song takes a hard right turn into the land of controlled chaos.  This song turns into one tasty jam when Balote ups the tempo and Komaki attacks the B3 with full force.  Massive waves of funk and infectious grooves make “Katrina” a definite standout.

 I get a little hypnotized with each and every listen to this delightful instrumental.

Pierce carefully explores the music acknowledged for its southern roots, and creates beautiful micro-blends of jazz, blues, and country which lay the foundation for Shapes of Soul.