These efforts are all the more impressive considering how busy Victor is. He’s a father of four, but has to spend half the year on the road. His wife home-schools the kids. He’s about to do some dates with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones and a full orchestra, and if that weren’t enough, he’s also working on a record with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller.

When pressed for a meaning to the album’s title, Victor said it was for us, the listeners, to say, not him. The meaning may be a mystery, but perhaps less so considering it comes from a man who, as a teacher, strenuously avoids “teaching” others what to do. He’d rather show them how to discover it for themselves. Nevertheless, Victor agreed to write, in his own words, this track-by-track breakdown of Palmystery. While the composer’s perspective is unique, it’s a good bet that he’d want to leave as much room as possible for your own thoughts on each tune.

1: “2 Timers”

This song was recorded around 2004. I came up with the song after stumbling upon the bass line at a Flecktones soundcheck. The Flecktones actually performed it live for a short period of time. I realized, by accident, that the bass line could be felt in two different time signatures at the same time. So, with that in mind, the song was named “2 Timers.”

Ex. 1
Can you really feel Victor's "2 Timers" bass line in, well, two different times? Yep, pretty much. Check out this D major latin-flavored groove in 3/4 (quarter-note = 132), and how the accented anticipations fall on the last 16th-note of the bar. Now check out how that same groove falls into a 4/4 half-time funk shuffle (quarter-note = 176), with the anticipations now landing on downbeats and a triplet ghost-note pulse driving the groove. Neat trick, Vic.

2: “Cambo”

“Cambo” is one of our newest songs. It’s another one that was written around the bass groove. The Victor Wooten Band tested it out live for a short while before recording it in ’07. [Vocalist/violinist Amir] Ali’s Arabian vocal melody was a last-minute addition, and that is Regi [Wooten] thumpin’ on the guitar, not me on the bass.

3: “I Saw God”

This song has been raising questions and eyebrows ever since I wrote it. I like writing songs that cause people to think. This one sure does the trick.

4: “The Lesson”

The beginning of each chapter of my new book, The Music Lesson, has one measure of handwritten music written at the top. Once all of the measures are put together, you’ll get this song, “The Lesson.” It’s the only solo-bass song (no overdubs) on the CD.

5: “Left, Right, and Center”

I came up with an idea to have three drummers playing together on the same song. So, I booked a recording session before I even had a song to record. I quickly wrote the song and brought in the first drummer. The great musicians really made the song come to life. Guitarist Mike Stern played a solo that was so amazing that I started learning it. Enjoying myself, I learned the whole solo and ended up doubling it on the CD. It’s cookin’.

Ex. 2
One of the more frightening tunes from Palmystery is "Left, Right and Center," which starts with this finger-twister of a riff. Note how the syncopations in bars 2 and 4 are reversed on beats two and four, and also how the lick from bar 1 is later reduced to make it fit after the extra rest in bar 3. There are a couple of different ways to finger this, but given how the last two notes (Eb and E) in bars 1 and 3 are slid, I think staying down on the A string and then releasing for the open A is the smoothest way to go.

6: “Sifu”

“Sifu” is a Chinese word for teacher. When I was younger and studying martial arts, I would always write down quotes that my Sifu, Brian Edwards, would say. I decided to record his voice saying one of my favorites for this CD. I asked Mike Stern and saxophonist Shawn “Thunder” Wallace to play through the song without hearing it first. Their amazing first takes are what you hear on “Sifu.”

7: “Miss U”

While performing on the Jam Cruise one year, I was inspired by a band called the Lee Boys. As I listened to them, I jotted down some ideas that popped into my head. Those ideas turned into this song. I brought all of the Lee Boys into the studio to bring this song to life.

8: “Flex”

This song is named after my touring bass player and bass tech, Anthony “Flex” Wellington. That’s him playing at the start of the tune. The song was written on the way to a gig in Korea. I sang the song to the band on the bus, and we opened the show with it a few hours later. You can do that when you play with great musicians.

9: “The Gospel”

My brother Joseph and I were working on a tune when we called our mom to ask her about an old spiritual. We recorded her singing it over the phone and used the recording for the CD. Later, we added our uncles and aunts joining Mom in the old Baptist Church-style of singing that is almost forgotten. With the addition of voices from our younger cousins, this song is a mixture of many generations of our family.

10: “Song For My Father”

This is our remake of one of my favorite jazz classics. I’ve always imagined this song with a funk backbeat. I hope Horace Silver doesn’t mind.

11: “Happy Song”

The song makes me feel like the title suggests: happy. My good friend John Billings plays incredible bass on this track. After the band was finished recording, I was excited to hear the melody, so I picked up the nearest bass and started recording. The strings on the bass were really dead, but I couldn’t stop playing. So, I left the strings on and continued and that’s what ended up on the CD. I hope you don’t mind.

12: “Us 2”

I usually like ending my CDs with a song that causes the listener to quiet down or think. This song does both. It is the first song I ever recorded using a slide on the bass. The addition of bluesman Keb’ Mo’ adds authenticity and coolness to the track.