In the ArtistWorks Music Roundtable podcast series, members of the ArtistWorks faculty are joined by notable musical guests to discuss topics on anything and everything music. Subjects ranging from touring and memorable moments on the road to recording, songwriting, musicianship, music theory, technique, and more will be addressed. Nothing is off-limits, and all musical themes are fair game!

In this episode of the ArtistWorks Music Roundtable, our Director of Content and Production, Marcus Luscombe, is joined by world-renowned multi-instrumentalist and ArtistWorks harmonica instructor, Howard Levy, and critically acclaimed bass guitar guru, Victor Wooten. Together, Howard and Victor discuss their musical backgrounds (particularly how Victor got his start playing in his family’s band), how they first met and began playing together in Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, and the qualities that made Béla’s iconic jazz-fusion super-group so unique.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to play harmonica from a true master musician like Howard Levy? Try a free harmonica lesson now!

Victor Wooten is one of the preeminent bass players of the last several decades and has been a pioneer on the instrument since he first began playing professionally at the age of six. The youngest of five brothers, Victor burst onto the music scene performing alongside his family, sharing the stage with legendary acts such as Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, War, Stephanie Mills, and more. In 1990, Victor Wooten and Howard Levy teamed up with banjo legend, Béla Fleck, and Victor’s brother and virtuosic drummer, Roy Wooten, to form Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. Together, these four musical powerhouses went on to win six Grammy Awards as The Flecktones over a more than twenty year period.

“Before Howard Levy, when someone mentioned, ‘oh, I’ve got this harmonica player,’ the first thing that would go through my mind is somebody blowing blues licks around a campfire,” explains Victor, “But, the first time I heard Howard play, he played me a rendition of ‘Donna Lee,’ and I thought, ‘wow, this guy is not playing the normal harmonica. This is impossible. That is not supposed to happen.’”

Together, Howard and Victor detail their shared experiences performing with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, and outline the progressive elements of the group that distinguished them and led to their success and musical notoriety.

“The thing about The Flecktones that was amazing was that all four members of the band were innovators, experimentors, and explorers on their respective instruments,” Howard explains. “We were all doing things on our instruments that no one had ever done before. All four of us shared this intense desire to push our instruments forward into new sonic territories, and the music we were playing together allowed us to do that.”

To learn more about these two master musicians and their lives as world-renowned performers and educators, listen to the full podcast with Howard Levy and Victor Wooten here:

If you’re interested in studying the harmonica and learning about Howard’s unique approaches to performance, musicianship, and the jazz-fusion style, check out his online harmonica lessons right here at ArtistWorks!

ABOUT THE ARTISTWORKS MUSIC ROUNDTABLE PODCAST:

On the ArtistWorks Music Roundtable, members of our faculty of master musicians are joined by notable musical guests to discuss topics on anything and everything music. Subjects ranging from touring and memorable moments on the road to recording, songwriting, musicianship, music theory, technique, and more will be addressed. Nothing is off-limits, and all musical themes are fair game!

Looking to dive into more music podcasts? You’ve come to the right place. Investigate previous episodes of the ArtistWorks Music Roundtable podcast where plenty of topics are explored with fantastic, hand-selected, and knowledgeable guests.

Want to get started on overcoming the roadblocks in your musical journey with our online music lessons? Sample some free music lessons with any of our master musicians and learn from the best!

READ MORE:

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ArtistWorks Music Roundtable Podcast—Episode 4: Andy McKee & Trevor Gordon Hall

Harmonics Lesson: An Introduction to Bending with Howard Levy