Some of your favorite Telluride Bluegrass boys are playing this Friday at Cervantes’, including the one and only, five-time Grammy winning funky bass master himself: Victor Wooten. As the youngest sibling of five musically masterful brothers, Wooten learned to play the bass by the age of three. By the time he was just six years old, he was touring with his brothers and opening for soul legend, Curtis Mayfield. Wooten is the former bassist for Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and the only person to have been awarded “Bassist of the Year” by Bass Player Magazine more than once — three times, to be exact, but who’s counting? But enough about his credentials; you either know him or you don’t.
The Victor Wooten Trio is made of up of Wooten on bass, Dennis Chambers on drums and Bob Franceschini on the saxophone. Think you’ve never heard of these guys? Think again: Chambers (who was also drumming by the ripe ol’ age of four) used to be the house drummer for the Sugar Hill Label (think: “Rapper’s Delight“), was a member of Parliament/Funkadelic when he was just 18 years old and then joined the John Scofield Band in 1986. And Bob Franceschini has played on over 200 albums with artists from Paul Simon to Celine Dion.
Additionally, Austin-based “kaleidoscopic” rock ‘n’ roll group The Band of Heathens will be opening. Not enough music for you yet? Cool, because Leftover Salmon’s renowned mandolinist Drew Emmitt and banjo picker extraordinaire Andy Thorn will also be taking the stage Friday evening — plus Colorado’s own The Drunken Hearts will be bringing their “alternative mountain music” festivities, too. As if that wasn’t enough, Brad Parsons Band (Brad plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, keys and vocals in Horse Feathers) and Coral Creek, who are also from Colorado, will be kicking off the night. Coral Creek includes Grammy award-winning fiddle player, Luke Bulla, and keyboard player Bill McKay (Leftover Salmon, Derek Trucks Band). Their upcoming, self titled album is produced by Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone.
Well, if that’s not enough incentive to get off your butt and dance this Friday, we don’t know what else to tell you. Cervantes’ is the place to come and shake it this weekend, and tickets are still available for only $20 advance/$25 day of show. The doors open at 8 p.m. and music starts at 8:15 p.m.