Charlie Wooton Project

............................................................ ....................................................... CWP’s style is Louisiana bass-driven funk with hints of the Caribbean, West Africa and brasil. He has forged many musical relationships in his 20+ years of performing-uniting the Charlie Wooton Project. With Wooton playing bass, Ricky Fargo, formally with Col. Bruce Hampton and Derek Trucks on drums and Marcus Henderson from King Johnson on Sax and keys. The fluid movement from riveting, classic solo bass pieces to soul-shaking improvisations, the group takes the audience on a musical roller-coaster ride.......................................... Charlie Wooton’s personal journey is rooted in his Louisiana musical family upbringing and nurtured by his constant study of ethnic music (“I love music that is pure,” he says) and seemingly insatiable love of live performance. It is difficult to pinpoint where he began to follow the road less traveled, yet when a 17 year-old Wooton’s band opened for The Meters at Grant Street Dance Hall in Lafayette, Louisiana he learned something about performance that wasn’t taught in his lessons..................................................... .................................“There was one point in the show when George Porter Junior hit a low E and he just stood there and the whole place went NUTS.” ...........................................Wooton had been changed, and his active musical mind would be molded even further a couple of years later, when he was moved by a particularly dynamic performance from African percussionist and band leader Mohamed Bangoura at the Festival International deLouisiane, also in Lafayette. Bangoura ended up staying in Lafayette and becoming a bit of a mentor to the young Wooton. The two spoke radically different types of French, yet Wooton learned that strong musical connections can transcend language. Bangoura would sing his band mates parts to them or, “He would start a rhythm and we would put tones to it and he would add cadences and we would have a song!” .................................Bangoura taught Wooton not only about the beauty of improvisation, but also about methods that can be utilized to keep the improvisation fresh and lively. Sure, Wooton was a busy musician even in high school, playing bass and trumpet throughout his four years. He played in several touring bands including the Chubby Carrier and Bayou Swamp Band and one All State Jazz Band (with Brian Blade drumming). Wooton knew music very well for someone his age, but Bangoura opened up a new world for him. “In rehearsals, he would sometimes give us a groove, and then have us play it for an hour or so without letting us get louder or softer, just keeping the groove tight.” Then in the live performances Bangoura would hit the stage adorned with festive attire and full of energetic fire. “All of a sudden we would let loose with what we had been holding back in the rehearsals.”.............................................. .......................Wooton ended up finding his way to Los Angeles armed with a slew of musical experiences, and found work at a high profile rehearsal studio. He was around music every day and ended up meeting and playing with some of the great musicians of our day (Stevie Wonder, Wayne Shorter, Ricky Lawson and Sheila E to name a few). Perhaps best of all, he ended up befriending a childhood idol, former Spyro Gyra and current Rippingtons bassist Kim Stone, who inspired Wooton toward greater heights, and even gave him a very special blue bass that Wooton uses to this day. Wooton outperformed some of the finest New York and Los Angeles session musicians in several auditions – earning a spot in En Vogue’s band (before a member of their management team rescinded the offer), and one of only two “call backs” from Mick Fleetwood.............................While in Los Angeles, Wooton had an opportunity to sit in on a pretour Wayne Shorter rehearsal during which Shorter seemed to be more interested in preparing the musicians to have proper energy more than teaching them specifically how to play the songs. “Shorter’s rehearsal method reminded me of Bangoura's,” Wooton says, “His band would play a real soft groove for, like twenty minutes. He would interject here and there with blasts of notes or single notes held for long periods of time. Any time they started playing too loud he would quiet them down because it was all about finding and building that tension and holding it back for live performances.”............................................ ..........Another rewarding experience for Charlie was the time he spent with Brazilians while in Los Angeles (most of his free time), so when he returned to the Southeast to take up residence in Atlanta he was eager to play some Brazilian music. He joined a mighty Atlanta-based Brazilian band Tropiscuss 22. Early on, his band leaders were feeling he wasn’t “getting the groove” despite the fact that they were impressed with his obvious technical proficiency. “Then they had this beautiful Brazilian girl dance right in front of me and all of a sudden I had the groove. They had her dance in front of me for three gigs until they were sure I had it.” While he would only spend a couple of years with this band, his love of Brazilian music has permeated his craft throughout his career................Wooton would soon again start forming his own bands. He fronted the Zydeco/Cajun band called Joie de Vivre (“Joy of Life”) during which he would begin a long musical relationship with guitarist and Charlie Wooton Project associate Jody Davies. These two would work in this band and its offshoots, but it was not until they formed Zydefunk that the band started to gain regional attention. The band blended rock, funk and jazz with all kinds of World music flavors to create a wild, hip-tickling sound. Their repertoire included a bunch of originals (many written and honed in hotel rooms and at sound checks) which fit snugly with their covers (Meters, Nevilles, Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco). They toured the southeast heavily in the early part of this decade, even getting a chance to open for Buckwheat Zydeco, BB King and many others. They became a fixture at southeast festivals, most notably Bele Chere in Asheville, NC, Athfest in Athens, GA and Atlanta’s Dogwood Festival, Montreaux and the internationally known Music Midtown. They were even featured on CNN’s World News Tonight program. Zydefunk recorded a self-titled CD with Paul Diaz at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta which was released in 2003, and Oliver Wood (King Johnson, Wood Brothers) performed with them on one track. Wood has also been a part of many Wooton musical ventures, most notably one side project that has become an Atlanta favorite, Coop de Ville. This band features Donnie Mac on chicken coop (used as a percussion instrument) and the guitar of Oliver Wood and/or Sean Costello.................................................... ..............Wooton also demonstrated his loyalty to his native Louisiana by planning and organizing Tears For Triumph with his girlfriend Tracey shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina (and Hurricane Rita for that matter). The two arranged for over 16 bands to perform, raised over $15,000 dollars not to mention consciousness. The event was covered on virtually every major Atlanta television, radio and print outlet – and was featured prominently on Good Day Atlanta, a well-rated morning show on Atlanta’s Fox Television affiliate................................................... .....................................................Wootonâ €™s approach to this new project parallels many of his life musical experiences, and will be informed by his study of Jazz musicians like Joe Zawinul (“he’s an incredible songwriter and musician”). The band will blend Wooton’s deep-rooted Louisiana sound with elements of Brazilian, African, Caribbean and other music styles. Much like Bangoura and Shorter, Wooton’s focus will be on having his band mates ready to bring forth their most fiery improvisation, and take the listener on a fresh musical voyage every time. ”If you’re gonna be a repeat customer, I want you to have a new experience every time.” Wooton will draw from his extended Atlanta musical family, which includes Wood, Costello, Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phil Lesh and Friends, Trey Anastasio), Count M’Butu (Derek Trucks Band), Sonny Emory (Earth, Wind and Fire) and Dick Smith (Earth, Wind and Fire) - as well as a sea of undiscovered musicians that Wooton knows. “I will have nothing but tremendous players helping us get our thing out there!”I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4