With the draconian COVID laws finally loosening up, everyone at Catalina’s Jazz club was glad to be in attendance. The packed audience was buzzing with enthusiasm, and as far as Victor Wooten’s Bass Extreme trio is concerned, drummer Derico Watson was so excited to get the gig that he flew all the way down from Washington to be a last minute replacement for Gregg Bissonette, and he literally didn’t miss a beat with the Wooten and 6 string fretless master Steve Bailey. The three thundered through a 90 minute set that was filled with joyful grooves and hand-faster-than-the-eye dexterity.
Watson’s snare work was sharper than an Armani suit, laying down a hip pulse for Wooten and Bailey to exchange beats, riffs and melodies on the infectious “Home Bass Funk”. Wooten’s bass bent and snapped faster than Reese Witherspoon around Bailey’s tasty Tootsie Roll licks on “Chrome Addict” with the two showing alarming dynamics on “Not 2t 3” with the volume rising and falling like a tidal wave, slowly and softly fading away like a mist. Wooten’s thumb did some hammer time as he seared out some bluesy lines around some elephantine pounding by the supporting duo on “Cool Groove” before Bailey got the spotlight for a gorgeous aria that went from Led Zeppelin to the Beatles without a stitch being dropped.
The team went into cruise control on the fusiony “Tropical Storm” giving Watson a chance to thrill the crowd with some deft stick work, segueing into the leader letting one of his basses create a relentless beat, and laying it down while he played around with bass strings that went from kaleidoscopic to impressionistic.
The evening ended with the three delivering a soft landing of lyricism on “Slow Down” as the two bassists created misty moods and Watson’s brushes assuaged the melody with taste and class.
“It is great to be playing in front of people again” Wooten exuded during the evening. Judging by the reception, it was great to be listening to people again as well.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Dee Dee Bridgewater 03/17-19, Suren Arustamyan 03/20, Sam Harris 03/25-26, Billy Stritch and Linda Lavin 03/29