The Wooten Brothers are not your average family. They have been playing music together for their entire lives and it shows in the way they perform on stage. Victor, Joseph, Roy “Futureman,” and Regi play with each other with such ease that it seems like they could do it in their sleep. On Sunday, December 15, they brought their latest tour to The Egg and played beautifully for their entire two hour performance.
The evening started with Joseph coming out alone, joking with the audience about his birthday being that night and bringing the rest of his brothers out for a Sly Stone medley of songs. Once the medley ended the brothers began doing a slew of originals that let each member show how talented they were. Whether it was Joseph on the piano leading R&B ballads, Victor taking the lead on his bass for funkier numbers, or Regi displaying his guitar mastery on the heavier rock songs, each brother proved why they are up on that stage every night. Roy “Futureman” kept the brothers on point with his steady playing all night on the drums. He played a regular drum set all night, which is unusual for him as he has an electronic percussion unit for drumming with him more often than not, but he even played that differently as his bass drum was horizontal so he could play it with his hand instead of his foot.
The brothers told stories between their songs and joked with the audience. During a James Brown medley, Joseph began to ask for hitting and quitting just like the godfather of soul used to. His “hit is on 52” was very funny and appropriate as it was his 52nd birthday, and the crowd enjoyed every second of it. The band even paid tribute to their fifth brother, Rudy, who died a few years ago, with the ballad “Make Me Like a Child.” It was a touching moment that clearly showed how much these brothers care about one another. The Wooten Brothers are all virtuosos at their respective instruments and it is always a treat to see them play. In the small confines of The Egg, it truly felt like a private performance for a few friends. After the show was over, all of the brothers showed their appreciation to the audience by sticking around to sign things and talk with anyone who wanted to. It was a great gesture by them and a perfect way to end the evening.
The music itself is not your typical, run of the mill jazz either. Instead, his early training in the classics bleeds through as he moves through classically swung eights and transitions cleanly into a haunting straight melody. Ever the modernist, the sweetness of the melodies never lasted long; it usually fell into discordant breaks while he plucked from within the Steinway to add to his, and its, already stunning sound. The evening opened with ‘Where’s Sly?’ blended with ‘Otis’ and had plenty of improvisation for all. With those two songs alone, Medeski played for nearly 45 minutes straight with only a handful of breaks through the entire two hours.
