The Wooten Brothers Come to Berlin
Zig Zag's Jazz Fesitval Presents the Curtis Mayfield Headliners
By: Susan Hall - Jul 26, 2026
The Wooten Brothers performed at Zig Zag’s Jazz Festival in Berlin. They have quite a history.
When five Wooten brothers headlined Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly tour in 1972, they were aged four to nine. Now, that four-year-old—Victor Wooten—leads his brothers (Rudy, a saxophonist, passed away in 2010) as they tour the world.
They are all wildly inventive, each having forged a distinctive career. Joseph, the oldest, is a keyboardist for the Steve Miller Band. Roy, known as "Future Man," was a founding member of Béla Fleck and the Fleckstones. He performs on his own handmade Drumitars and RoyEls—cutting-edge instrumentation that pushes the boundaries of fusion, jazz, and rock. Regi is a wizard on the guitar. Victor, leading the group at the Gasometer in Berlin, is widely considered one of the world’s greatest bass guitarists.
All of them sing. Together, they have won or contributed to 26 Grammys.
Even with that track record, you can’t quite prepare for how electrifying the evening is—brilliant technique married to infectious rhythms. We sweated right along with them during their incredible performance of "Sweat." Even in a large hall, the audience stood and danced as one. They couldn’t help it.
These brothers talk fluently to each other on stage, spinning around, tossing their instruments high in the air, and twirling them. They are as much a visual treat as an auditory one.
Together—Regi on guitar, Roy on drums, Joseph on keyboards, and Victor on bass—they create a powerhouse of groove where jazz, soul, funk, and R&B collide.
Each brother is a virtuoso in his own right: Victor, a five-time Grammy Award-winnner, is recognized as one of the greatest living bassists today. Joseph boasts a dizzying list of talents that is impressive even by the Wooten family standards. Currently the keyboardist for the Steve Miller Band (since 1993), he is also a composer, orchestrator, and motivational speaker who has been showcased as an amazing vocalist since childhood. Roy “Future Man” Wooten, also a five-time Grammy winner, is best known for his masterful percussion skills and his trademark inventions: "The Drumitar" and the "RoyEl" keyboard. Regi Wooten’s signature guitar style—slapping, tapping, and frenzied strumming—has earned him worldwide notoriety.
The Wooten Brothers bring deep experience, originality, and pure expertise to the stage with a high-energy, super-funky blend of original songs and classics.
There is one unique pocket of US culture that often operates beyond race: the families of Black military officers. Base commanders closely oversee the education of all military children, ensuring no child falls behind. As a result, when you meet the children of Black US military officers, you are apt to find highly educated, deeply engaged members of society. The Wooten brothers shine in this role—a legendary band of brothers.