The Charlie Wooton Project - Blue Basso (2019)

Bassist Charlie Wooton has released a new album with his solo project called Blue Basso. Named after his well-worn and well-loved bass, the record is a reflection of his New Orleans and oozes with blues, soul, funk, and amazing bass playing. It also helps to pay tribute to one of his idols: Jaco Pastorius. Aside from a fresh take on “Come On Come Over,” the opening track is a play on the bass legend’s name and style.

“‘Jaceaux’ used to be called the ‘Gospel Jaco.’ It was a Jaco groove with gospel changes and Doug Belote one day said, ‘Man, you’re the cajun Jaco!’ and we all laughed,” Wooton told Green Arrow Radio. “The spelling of ‘Jaceaux’ is my fun little cajun twist on Jaco. It’s dedicated to him, and who better to get on there than Doug Wimbish. The part he put on there was this wild, wild rhythm part. It’s hard to tell who’s playing what and I love it.”

Check out “Jaceaux”:

Wooton anchored the album with guitarist Daniel Groover, keyboardist Keiko Komaki, and Jermal Watson. Arsène DeLay provides vocals for many of the songs. The bassist also got a handful of guest guitarists to fill out Blue Basso: Sonny Landreth, Anders Osborne, Eric McFadden, and Damon Fowler. ~notreble.com by Kevin Johnson