Newly remastered with bonus track for 2013, What Did He Say? was bass virtuoso Victor Wooten's sophomore solo release on Compass Records. Originally released in 1997, the music features all five Wooten brothers, JD Blair, B+ªla Fleck, Paul McCandless, Rod McGaha, Davy Spillane and Oteil Burbridge. A departure from his first release, the music varies from funk and rap to John Coltrane's “Naima,” and a beautiful original solo bass version of the Lennon/McCartney standard “Norwegian Wood.”
Review:
A superb, varied, playfully crafted disc, and an absolutely stunning
effort that surpasses expectations. The music varies from funk and rap to a
fantastic version of John Coltrane’s “Naima,” to a beautiful, very
different—yet quite recognizable without being boring—version of the
Lennon/McCartney standard “Norwegian Wood.” The shifts of stance, posture,
and presentation are at times abrupt but never disconcerting; rather, they
provoke thought and reflection. These shifts appear at times between the tracks
and at times in the midst of the pieces themselves. The disc is never
inaccessible; the combination of jazz and Irish music brings to mind the
seemingly ridiculous combinations of Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. The big
departure from the first album is that this is not a solo bass album. He uses
other instruments, and uses them well. Not to be missed.
All Music Guide – Bob Gottlieb