READING EAGLE SPECIAL 19TH ANNUAL VF OUTLET BERKS JAZZ FEST PREVIEW SECTION / SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2009 ictor Wooten’s virtuosity on the bass is a well-established fact. His influence parallels that of the late bassist Jaco VPastorius, and he is well known for his solo recordings as well as for being a member of the Grammy-winning Bela Fleck & The Flecktones. Wooten is coming to the 19th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest with drummer J.D. Blair for their “2 Minds, One Groove” tour. “It’s a fun duo,” he said. “We haven’t done this in about 10 years. He played on all my records.” He also is promoting his latest release Palmystery. Wooten’s talents go beyond his music. He’s a composer, arranger, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, as well as an innovator on the bass guitar. He also runs a unique camp, Victor Wooten’s Bass/Nature Camp, and wrote a book which was published in 2008. After his Friday, March 27 show at the Berks Jazz Fest, Wooten will join Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp for the remainder of the weekend as an instructor. by dana l. hoffman Recently, Wooten talked about his new book, “The He said he sent it to a few Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through friends who knew how to write, Music,” and where his focus is at these days. and made a lot of changes from He said that for years, while teaching workshops and there. running camps, he was asked to write down his philoso- The book’s been reaching who phies. he wanted to and beyond, with “My outlook in music is slightly different than most, but feedback coming from musicians I didn’t want to write an instructional manual,” Wooten as well as people not musically said, explaining that manuals usually are taken too liter- inclined. ally. “It’s a great feeling, especially So he took a different approach. He wrote a fictional since a major company like Pen- story that people would hopefully take more lightly. guin picked it up,” Victor said. “It’s “So even if they aren’t a musician, they could get even better than seeing my first something from it,” he explained. “In the music world, I CD. Music’s what I’ve done all my had never seen a book like that.” life; writing’s not. It’s really amazing and surprising.” The book is the story of a struggling young musician Right now, he’s halfway through the book’s sequel. who looked for greatness. A teacher appears seemingly Among the other exciting ventures in Victor’s life is the out of nowhere, part musical genius and part wise man, Bass/Nature Camp. This is the 10th year for his camps, and he guides the young musician on a spiritual journey which usually are held in Tennessee, giving him a chance that shows how music mirrors life. to be home with his wife and four children. Victor said he began writing “The Music Lesson” three “I can still remember the first one so vividly,” he said. years ago, while on tour. “It’s a chance to bring the instructors to me, not only to “After a show, I’d stay up late and write,” he said. teach but I wanted to learn from them.” “Within a month, it was written. What took a while was rewriting.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 & 3 WOOTEN Discography / 19th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest Schedule of Performances 4 Volunteer Spotlight / UPTOWN JAZZUP / Chuck Loeb’s Berks Jazz Fest Forecast 2 SPECIAL 19TH ANNUAL VF OUTLET BERKS JAZZ FEST PREVIEW SECTION / READING EAGLE / Sunday, FEBRUARY 22, 2009 VF OUTLET BERKS JAZZ FEST major concerts mccoy tyner thursday, march 26 wednesday, april 1 7:00 p.m.: Berks Jazz Fest Preview Concert 7:00 p.m.: Bebop, Ballads and Blues Kutztown University Jazz Faculty Group featuring Kevin Kjos, Brian Bromberg Quartet Scott Lee, Cathy Chemi, Alan Apple, Allison Miller and David Cullen Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $20 Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $10 at door 7:30 p.m.: Blues-Rock Guitar Virtuoso Joe Bonamassa plus opening act Marianne Keith Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 friday, march 27 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago The Tierney Sutton Band Kutztown University Schaeffer Auditorium: $30; $27 students Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $30 7:30 p.m.: Opening Night Concert Peter White and Mindi Abair thursday, april 2 Scottish Rite Cathedral: $49 7:00 p.m. Guitar Summit: Ken Gehret, Tom Witmer, Gary Wensel, Pete 7:30 p.m.: Severn Records Presents Rogosky Severn Soul & Blues Revue featuring Steve Guyger, Big Joe Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $15 Maher, Tad Robinson, Roy Tyler and New Directions, and the Severn Records All-Star Band 7:30 p.m. The Inn at Reading: $38 Chieli Minucci & Special EFX with the Berks Jazz Fest Horns brian bromberg The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Ballroom: $35 béla fleck: 10:00 p.m. the africa project Joe McBride & Kenny Blake 10:00 p.m.: Party at the Plaza The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Jazz Cabaret: $20 Berks All-Star Jazz Jam: Rick Braun, Chuck Loeb, Gerald Veasley, 10:30 p.m.: World-Renowned Bassist Brian Bromberg, Chieli Minucci, Paul Jackson Jr., Dave Weckl, Bobby Victor Wooten Lyle, Mitch Forman, Kim Waters, Steve Cole, Jeff Kashiwa, Nelson Rangell, Matt Marshak, Richard Elliot Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 saturday, march 28 2:00 p.m.: Sax for Stax friday, april 3 Gerald Albright & Kirk Whalum 7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.: Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery Tribute Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 Bobby Lyle & Paul Jackson Jr. Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $35 tierney gerald 3:00 p.m.: The Music of Gershwin and Porter sutton veasley Doc Mulligan and Friends 7:30 p.m.: Jason Miles presents Miller Center for the Arts: $18 Soul Summit II featuring Richard Elliot, Jeff Golub, Eric Darius, Maysa, Simone, Bob Babbitt, Reggie Young, Steve Ferrone 7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.: Fusion at the Base and the original Soul Survivors plus the Berks Jazz Fest Horns Steve Smith & Vital Information Scottish Rite Cathedral: $49 Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $30 7:30 p.m.: An Evening With 7:30 p.m.: An Evening With Phoebe Snow Brian Culbertson Miller Center for the Arts: $45 Scottish Rite Cathedral: $49 10:00 p.m.: Late-Night Blues 7:30 p.m.: Severn Records Presents The Billy Price Band featuring special guest Fred Chapellier Severn Soul & Blues Revue featuring Clarence Spady, Darrell The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Ballroom: $25 Nulisch, Lou Pride, and the Severn Records All-Star Band The Inn at Reading: $38 10:00 p.m.: Celebrating “Kind of Blue” andy Tim Price & Rachel Z and the Department of Good and Evil narell 10:00 p.m. The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Jazz Cabaret: $15 Uptown JAZZUP featuring Erich Cawalla & Jen Kinder The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Jazz Cabaret: $15 10:30 p.m. The Sax Pack featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole, Kim Waters 10:30 p.m.: The Music of Stevie Wonder Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 Gerald Veasley Band with Najee, Nnenna Freelon, Joe McBride and the Berks Jazz Fest Horns Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 saturday, april 4 2:00 p.m.: Golden Gate Groove Double-Header phoebe snow sunday, march 29 East Bay Soul featuring Greg Adams, Phil Perry, Michael 2:00 p.m.: Smooth Jazz 92.7 Listener Appreciation Day Paulo, Lee Thornburg plus Joyce Cooling Band Average White Band plus Pieces of a Dream Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.: Fusion Saturday 3:00 p.m.: Jewish Federation of Reading Concert Metro featuring Chuck Loeb, Mitch Forman, Dave Weckl, Anat Cohen Randy Brecker, Gerald Veasley, Bob Francescini Miller Center for the Arts: $28 Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base at the Reading Crowne Hotel: $35 Co-sponsored by Jewish Federation of Reading/JCC including 7:30 p.m.: An Evening With congregations, Kesher Zion and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom Boney James 7:30 p.m.: Smooth and Soulful. Scottish Rite Cathedral: $49 Take 6 plus Wayman Tisdale 7:30 p.m.: An Evening With Scottish Rite Cathedral: $49 McCoy Tyner Quartet Miller Center for the Arts: $45 This tour engagement of McCoy Tyner is funded through the American Masterpieces program monday, march 30 of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts 7:30 p.m.: WXPN welcomes American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius, a major initiative to acquaint Béla Fleck: The Africa Project Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. Miller Center for the Arts: $45 10:00 p.m.: Back by Popular Demand 7:30 p.m. Rick Braun’s Tribute to Chet Baker United States Army Jazz Ambassadors The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Ballroom: $35 Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: FREE 10:00 p.m.: Celebrating “Kind of Blue” Tickets will be distributed February 23 Tim Price & Rachel Z and the Department of Good and Evil The Abraham Lincoln Hotel Jazz Cabaret: $15 tuesday, march 31 10:30 p.m.: WXPN welcomes The Derek Trucks Band 7:30 p.m. take 6 Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: $39 United States Army Jazz Ambassadors plus the Berks County High School All-Star Band Reading Crowne Hotel Ballroom: FREE sunday, april 5 Tickets will be distributed February 23 2:00 p.m.: Smooth Jazz 92.7 Listener Appreciation Day 7:30 p.m.