So this afternoon I put Victor Wooten‘s album A Show Of Hands 15 on the iPhone and listened to it on the way back from meeting with my All State Agent where I protected myself against mayhem and saved over $ 600 on my insurance with discounts I didn’t know I qualified for!! So I started listening to Victor in a pretty good mood! Now I must admit that I really didn’t think that a solo bass album could be that good, and I will say that I haven’t listened to the whole album yet, but now I believe that I have a new album and artist to listen to at work – overall what I heard was marvelous! 
As I was listening to Wooten, my mind wander to the music of another musician whose work is in my music library, but I haven’t written a lot, if anything, about and that’s Brooks Williams. There’s just something about the both Wooten and Williams that link them together in my mind. Both are masters of their respective instruments. Both can conjure up riffs and ,melodies that stay in your mind for a long time, Both also teach:.
Brooks Williams is a well-respected teacher whose guitar masterclasses are highly regarded. Recent workshops include Guitar Retreats in the UK, Creative Vacances in France, The Swannanoa Gathering in the USA, and the London Acoustic Guitar Show. Some of the workshops happen on the afternoon of a concert appearance at a festival or an arts centre. Others are day-, weekend-, or week-long, and feature lots of one-on-one time as well as ample group playing. Topics have included Americana guitar, blues guitar, slide guitar, and songwriting in the roots music tradition In addition to these workshops and masterclasses, Williams is a visiting lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, where he works with aspiring musicians in the popular music programme. In 2012 Williams was awarded an Arts Award by the South Cambridgeshire District Council for his involvement in the Cambridge arts scene. – See more at: http://www.brookswilliams.com/workshops/#sthash.O4PdXtl7.dpuf
and Wooten has his Vix Camps…..
Since the year 2000, Victor Wooten’s Center For Music and Nature has taught a unique combination of music and nature studies to students from all around the World. The courses, or as we call them “camps”, are held at Wooten Woods Retreat in Only Tennessee, a 147 acre riverfront property owned by Grammy award winning musician and naturalist Victor Wooten. Taught at a young age by his four older brothers, the camps are based on Victor’s forty (plus) years of performing, studying, and living the skills, techniques, and philosophies from the worlds of both Music and Nature. Recognizing the connection between the two, Victor experimented and eventually developed an approach that could be shared with others to immediately help one understand and play better music, as well as (and more importantly) improve all aspects of one’s Life. Camps are taught by a group of respected, experienced, and innovative teachers as well as Victor himself who teaches at every camp….Read More
Now to get back to Brooks Williams who is……..
Ranked one of the Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists, singer-songwriter Brooks Williams writes groove-laden songs and delivers them with an easy-going vocal style and monstrous guitar chops. Walking the line between blues and Americana, Williams has worked stages worldwide for over 25 years, amassing a staggering back-catalogue of songs, recordings and tales. With nearly 20 CDs to his name – and more on the way – this Statesboro Georgia native is, according to americanaUK, “impossible not to like.” “I’ve known Brooks for many years. He’s a lovely player, a lovely singer, and a great writer and a lovely man. The real thing” (Martin Simpson) – See more at:brookswilliams.com
I remember when I first found Williams’ album Hundred Year Shadow at Tunes Used CD store. I brought it home having never heard of Williams before, and I quickly fell in love with his guitar work. Since then many of his CDs are in my library. Two of my favorites are his two early guitar albums Little Lion and Guitar Player. I say early because while I’m writing this post, I’m checking out MOG for his latest work! I see that he has released two albums in 2013, Brooks’ Guitars and New Everything at least one of them will be listened to tomorrow!! Earlier in the night I picked out the music that I was going use in this post. It was Brooks’ version of Hot Tuna’s Water Song, but then I went to MOG and was looking at the tracks on Brooks’ Guitars where I saw “Goodbye Walker Percy” a favorite! So sit back on the veranda, with your mint julep in hand, as Brooks uses his guitar to conjure up visions of Percy’s Louisiana home!
