Futureman with Jake Shimabukuro

It's not often that someone claims to be a scientist, an inventor, and a musician, but jazz percussionist Roy "Futureman" Wooten says he's all of this and more. The four-time Grammy award winner is perhaps best known as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, where his eccentric personality...

By Jonathan Cunningham

April 17, 2008

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It's not often that someone claims to be a scientist, an inventor, and a musician, but jazz percussionist Roy "Futureman" Wooten says he's all of this and more. The four-time Grammy award winner is perhaps best known as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, where his eccentric personality often steals the spotlight. The guy is a little crazy, to put it mildly. But it's the type of crazy that, coupled with genius, makes him a treat to watch. Futureman plays a colorful instrument called the "drumitar," which he invented. It essentially allows him to be a percussionist and guitarist at the same time, which can't be easy, but he makes it look that way. He's also got a more recent invention, called "the RoyEl," which lets him throw electric piano into the mix. You've got to see him play the thing live to fully understand how he does all this. This weekend he's in town performing with Hawaiian ukulele sensation Jake Shimabukuro, known for combining jazz and rock with the traditional music of Hawaii. One can only imagine the show they've got lined up. If you're a fan of good music, this is a show not to be missed.

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