Tal Wilkenfeld
Encyclopedia
Tal Wilkenfeld is a bass guitar
ist who has gained worldwide attention performing alongside some of rock
and jazz music's most notable artists. In addition to her work as a supporting musician, she has assumed the role of bandleader of her own eponymous bands, whose musicians have included Wayne Krantz
, Keith Carlock
, John Beasley
and Jeff "Tain" Watts. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" in a Bass Player
magazine readers' choice poll.
when she was fourteen years old. Two years later she dropped out of high school, saying that "it just wasn't going to work for me", and emigrated to the United States
where she studied electric guitar
. Within a year she had switched to electric bass
. Wilkenfeld graduated from Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in 2004. After a few months she accepted an endorsement from Sadowsky Guitars
; devoting herself to forming a band and composing songs of her own. At 18 she moved to New York City
and began making a name for herself in New York's jazz clubs.
and recorded her entire debut album, Transformation
in just two days when she was 20 years old. Wilkenfeld composed, produced, arranged
and played bass on seven intricate tunes with Wayne Krantz
, Geoffrey Keezer, saxophonist Seamus Blake and Keith Carlock
.
Aware that Chick Corea
was seeking a bassist for an upcoming tour, Wilkenfeld sent him demos of Transformation. She was elated to be selected to accompany him on his Australian tour in early 2007, along with Frank Gambale
and Antonio Sanchez. A few months later she joined Jeff Beck
, Vinnie Colaiuta
and Jason Rebello
for Beck's summer European tour. After returning from Europe the group completed their tour at Eric Clapton
's 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival
in Chicago, Illinois, performing to a sell-out crowd of approximately 40,000 people. By November 2007 Wilkenfeld had rejoined Beck and the other band members for a week-long residency
at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
in London. Beck selected the famous venue
to record a new DVD and CD, with a few guests, including Clapton, Joss Stone
and Imogen Heap
. It was recorded, filmed, and was released as Live at Ronnie Scott's
. On the same trip, Wilkenfeld joined Herbie Hancock
, Wayne Shorter
, singer Corinne Bailey Rae
and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta
on a session filmed for the A&E
series, Live from Abbey Road
. Wilkenfeld wrapped up 2007 with two standing-room-only Greenwich Village
gigs with Krantz.
In 2008 Wilkenfeld accompanied Krantz on gigs in Los Angeles
before embarking on a tour of Australia with Krantz and Carlock in the fall - a reunion of the core band that appeared on Transformation. At the conclusion of the tour, Krantz and Carlock, along with John Beasley backed Wilkenfeld during her headlining set for Bass Player LIVE! 2008, in Los Angeles. In July she accompanied Beck in a tribute to George Martin
concert in Los Angeles. She appeared at Warren Haynes
's 20th Annual Christmas Jam, reuniting with The Allman Brothers Band
and guesting with Gov't Mule
, Ivan Neville
and Robben Ford
.
At the start of 2009, Wilkenfeld toured Australia and Japan with Beck, who commented in an interview; "It's interesting to have some amazing players in my band like Tal, who is about, you know half, a quarter of the age of either Vinnie or me. She's a genius. She will pick up mistakes that we, even Vinnie and I miss. So she's a great anchor as well." Weeks later they went on to tour in the United States, beginning at Beck's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
where they played "Beck's Bolero
" and were joined by Led Zeppelin
's Jimmy Page
on "Immigrant Song
". Beck recalled; "When I was inducted we were going to have Jimmy Page
come on and play '(Beck's) Bolero'. But I didn't think it would be right for him to be playing rhythm guitar
all the way through that one number. Then the phone rang and it was Tal Wilkenfeld, my then bass player. She was on the way down in the elevator and told me we should play "Immigrant Song
". We were going on in ten minutes and had no time to rehearse. She said 'Oh, when you stop in the middle of 'Bolero', when the rhythm changes, we'll kick in to "Immigrant Song"'. "That's what I like - right on the hoof. Nobody knew, the lighting and sound guys didn't know, the organizers didn't know. I just grabbed the microphone and shouted, 'Jimmy Paaaage' and went straight into the song. I loved that. That's what you call dangerous, that's living on your reflexes." The DVD including this performance, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame: Legends was released in 2010.
In the few weeks' break between touring Japan and America, Wilkenfeld appeared with The Roots
on the Jimmy Fallon show, and then embarked on Beck's summer tour through Europe, Canada and the UK. During the UK run David Gilmour
sat in with the group during a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall
.
In October Wilkenfeld reunited with Beck at Madison Square Garden
for the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th Anniversary two-night concert. The set included guests Buddy Guy
on "Let Me Love You Baby", Sting singing "People Get Ready
" and Billy Gibbons
on "Foxy Lady
". The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts DVD, featuring these performances along with "Big Block", "A Day in the Life
" and "Freeway Jam", was released in 2010. In addition Wilkenfeld was featured on four tracks on Beck's new album Emotion & Commotion
, leading Bass Player magazine to write; "Wilkenfeld powers four tracks with present, prescient parts; this includes "Serene," with her ear-grabbing fills
and brief but bright solo."
After three years with Beck, Wilkenfeld returned to composing and recording as a solo artist. While working in Los Angeles she was asked to contribute to Herbie Hancock
's The Imagine Project
on "A Change is Gonna Come
" and "Don't Give Up
", to Macy Gray
's The Sellout
on "That Man" and to Lee Ritenour
's Six String Theory on "68", "In your Dreams", "Give Me One Reason
" and Guthrie Govan
's song "Fives", which features a solo by Wilkenfeld. On 23 May 2010 she appeared in The Baked Potato
's 40th anniversary show at the Ford Amphitheater with Steve Lukather
's band and in June and July accompanied Herbie Hancock
on dates across the U.S., Canada and Europe to promote the new release on which she had played. This short tour included a special show at Carnegie Hall
to celebrate Hancock's 70th birthday.
Wilkenfeld has also performed with Hiram Bullock
, Susan Tedeschi
, Rod Stewart
, John Mayer
, and Prince
.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist who has gained worldwide attention performing alongside some of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and jazz music's most notable artists. In addition to her work as a supporting musician, she has assumed the role of bandleader of her own eponymous bands, whose musicians have included Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz is an American jazz fusion guitarist. He has played with top artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Billy Cobham, and others, but is most active as a solo performer.-Biography:...
, Keith Carlock
Keith Carlock
Keith Carlock is an American drummer originally from Clinton, Mississippi. He currently resides in New York City, NY. He has recorded and/or toured with musicians that include Sting, John Mayer, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Diana Ross, Faith Hill, The Blues Brothers Band,...
, John Beasley
John Beasley (musician)
John Beasley is an American composer, pianist, producer, and arranger who has recorded and performed with musicians such as Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Chaka Kahn, James Brown, Spice Girls, Dianne Reeves, Ry Cooder, Chick Corea and Sérgio Mendes, Freddie Hubbard, John Patitucci, Queen Latifah, and...
and Jeff "Tain" Watts. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" in a Bass Player
Bass Player (magazine)
Bass Player is a popular magazine for bassists. Each issue offers a variety of artist interviews, lessons, equipment reviews, and a complete transcribed bass line from a popular song...
magazine readers' choice poll.
Early life
Wilkenfeld began playing guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
when she was fourteen years old. Two years later she dropped out of high school, saying that "it just wasn't going to work for me", and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where she studied electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. Within a year she had switched to electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Wilkenfeld graduated from Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in 2004. After a few months she accepted an endorsement from Sadowsky Guitars
Sadowsky
Sadowsky Guitars Limited is a Queens, New York based high-end guitar, bass guitar, and preamp manufacturer. The company took its name from the company founder, Roger Sadowsky. Sadowsky is an alumnus of SUNY Geneseo, and built the business from the ground up, in 1979, after 7 years of guitar...
; devoting herself to forming a band and composing songs of her own. At 18 she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and began making a name for herself in New York's jazz clubs.
Professional career
In 2006 Wilkenfeld performed as a guest with The Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
and recorded her entire debut album, Transformation
Transformation (Tal Wilkenfeld album)
Transformation is the first studio album by Australian jazz bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, released in May 2007. The album was recorded in New York. All seven songs are composed, arranged, and produced by Wilkenfeld. She also played bass on the album...
in just two days when she was 20 years old. Wilkenfeld composed, produced, arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and played bass on seven intricate tunes with Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz is an American jazz fusion guitarist. He has played with top artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Billy Cobham, and others, but is most active as a solo performer.-Biography:...
, Geoffrey Keezer, saxophonist Seamus Blake and Keith Carlock
Keith Carlock
Keith Carlock is an American drummer originally from Clinton, Mississippi. He currently resides in New York City, NY. He has recorded and/or toured with musicians that include Sting, John Mayer, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Diana Ross, Faith Hill, The Blues Brothers Band,...
.
Aware that Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
was seeking a bassist for an upcoming tour, Wilkenfeld sent him demos of Transformation. She was elated to be selected to accompany him on his Australian tour in early 2007, along with Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.-Recording career:...
and Antonio Sanchez. A few months later she joined Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
and Jason Rebello
Jason Rebello
Jason Rebello is a British jazz pianist, currently part of Sting's live and studio band, who has recorded a handful of albums under his own name. His debut album, A Clearer View was produced by Wayne Shorter....
for Beck's summer European tour. After returning from Europe the group completed their tour at Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival
Crossroads Guitar Festival
The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
in Chicago, Illinois, performing to a sell-out crowd of approximately 40,000 people. By November 2007 Wilkenfeld had rejoined Beck and the other band members for a week-long residency
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
in London. Beck selected the famous venue
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
to record a new DVD and CD, with a few guests, including Clapton, Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
and Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes...
. It was recorded, filmed, and was released as Live at Ronnie Scott's
Live at Ronnie Scott's (Jeff Beck album)
Jeff Beck released this live album on November 10, 2008. Other performers were Jason Rebello on keyboards, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass...
. On the same trip, Wilkenfeld joined Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
, singer Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, who released her debut album Corinne Bailey Rae in February 2006....
and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
on a session filmed for the A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
series, Live from Abbey Road
Live from Abbey Road
Live from Abbey Road is a 12-part, one-hour performance series/documentary that began filming its first season during 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Season 2 was filmed between 2007 and 2008, season 3 was filmed in 2009 and Season 4 was filmed in 2011...
. Wilkenfeld wrapped up 2007 with two standing-room-only Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
gigs with Krantz.
In 2008 Wilkenfeld accompanied Krantz on gigs in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
before embarking on a tour of Australia with Krantz and Carlock in the fall - a reunion of the core band that appeared on Transformation. At the conclusion of the tour, Krantz and Carlock, along with John Beasley backed Wilkenfeld during her headlining set for Bass Player LIVE! 2008, in Los Angeles. In July she accompanied Beck in a tribute to George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
concert in Los Angeles. She appeared at Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Haynes is best known for his work as long time guitarist with The Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a guitarist for David Allan Coe and The Dickey...
's 20th Annual Christmas Jam, reuniting with The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
and guesting with Gov't Mule
Gov't Mule
Gov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
, Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
and Robben Ford
Robben Ford
Robben Ford is an American blues, jazz and rock guitarist.-Biography:Ford was born in Woodlake, California, United States, but raised in Ukiah, California, and began playing the saxophone at age 10, picking up the guitar at age 13...
.
At the start of 2009, Wilkenfeld toured Australia and Japan with Beck, who commented in an interview; "It's interesting to have some amazing players in my band like Tal, who is about, you know half, a quarter of the age of either Vinnie or me. She's a genius. She will pick up mistakes that we, even Vinnie and I miss. So she's a great anchor as well." Weeks later they went on to tour in the United States, beginning at Beck's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
where they played "Beck's Bolero
Beck's Bolero
"Beck's Bolero" is a short, rock-based instrumental piece heavily influenced by Maurice Ravel's Boléro, recorded in May 1966 by Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Keith Moon on drums...
" and were joined by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on "Immigrant Song
Immigrant Song
"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a single from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970.-Overview:...
". Beck recalled; "When I was inducted we were going to have Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
come on and play '(Beck's) Bolero'. But I didn't think it would be right for him to be playing rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
all the way through that one number. Then the phone rang and it was Tal Wilkenfeld, my then bass player. She was on the way down in the elevator and told me we should play "Immigrant Song
Immigrant Song
"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a single from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970.-Overview:...
". We were going on in ten minutes and had no time to rehearse. She said 'Oh, when you stop in the middle of 'Bolero', when the rhythm changes, we'll kick in to "Immigrant Song"'. "That's what I like - right on the hoof. Nobody knew, the lighting and sound guys didn't know, the organizers didn't know. I just grabbed the microphone and shouted, 'Jimmy Paaaage' and went straight into the song. I loved that. That's what you call dangerous, that's living on your reflexes." The DVD including this performance, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame: Legends was released in 2010.
In the few weeks' break between touring Japan and America, Wilkenfeld appeared with The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
on the Jimmy Fallon show, and then embarked on Beck's summer tour through Europe, Canada and the UK. During the UK run David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
sat in with the group during a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
In October Wilkenfeld reunited with Beck at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
for the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th Anniversary two-night concert. The set included guests Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
on "Let Me Love You Baby", Sting singing "People Get Ready
People Get Ready (song)
"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart...
" and Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
on "Foxy Lady
Foxy Lady
"Foxy Lady" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience from their 1967 album Are You Experienced. It can also be found on a number of Hendrix's greatest hits compilations, including Smash Hits and Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix...
". The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts DVD, featuring these performances along with "Big Block", "A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" is a song by The Beatles, the final track on the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions...
" and "Freeway Jam", was released in 2010. In addition Wilkenfeld was featured on four tracks on Beck's new album Emotion & Commotion
Emotion & Commotion
Emotion & Commotion is the tenth studio album by guitarist Jeff Beck, released in April 2010 on ATCO Records. In addition to featuring vocal performances by Joss Stone, Imelda May and Olivia Safe, the album showcases a 64-piece orchestra on several tracks, and includes covers of well-known songs...
, leading Bass Player magazine to write; "Wilkenfeld powers four tracks with present, prescient parts; this includes "Serene," with her ear-grabbing fills
Fill (music)
In popular music, a fill is a short musical passage, riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody....
and brief but bright solo."
After three years with Beck, Wilkenfeld returned to composing and recording as a solo artist. While working in Los Angeles she was asked to contribute to Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
's The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project is an album by Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs...
on "A Change is Gonna Come
A Change Is Gonna Come (song)
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
" and "Don't Give Up
Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song)
"Don't Give Up" is song written by Peter Gabriel and recorded as a duet with Kate Bush for Gabriel's album So. The single version spent eleven weeks in the UK Top 75 chart in 1986, peaking at number nine. It describes the despair of a man who feels isolated and defeated by the economic system, and...
", to Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
's The Sellout
The Sellout
The Sellout is the fifth studio album by American R&B-soul singer–songwriter Macy Gray, released on June 22, 2010 in the United States. The album's lead single, "Beauty in the World" was released in April 2010...
on "That Man" and to Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
's Six String Theory on "68", "In your Dreams", "Give Me One Reason
Give Me One Reason
"Give Me One Reason" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on her 1995 album New Beginning. It is also Chapman's biggest US hit to date, reaching #3 on the US Hot 100. Chapman also performed the song six years before its release, on the December 16, 1989...
" and Guthrie Govan
Guthrie Govan
Guthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
's song "Fives", which features a solo by Wilkenfeld. On 23 May 2010 she appeared in The Baked Potato
The Baked Potato
The Baked Potato is a noted night club located in Studio City, Los Angeles, often regarded as the world's oldest music venue specializing in jazz fusion music. The club's name is derived from its unusual menu which features more than 20 types of baked potatoes....
's 40th anniversary show at the Ford Amphitheater with Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather
Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
's band and in June and July accompanied Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
on dates across the U.S., Canada and Europe to promote the new release on which she had played. This short tour included a special show at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
to celebrate Hancock's 70th birthday.
Wilkenfeld has also performed with Hiram Bullock
Hiram Bullock
Hiram Law Bullock was an American jazz funk and jazz fusion guitarist.He was born in Osaka, Japan to African American parents serving in the U.S. Military. At the age of two he returned to Baltimore, Maryland with his parents, and quickly showed a prodigious musical talent...
, Susan Tedeschi
Susan Tedeschi
Susan Tedeschi is an American blues and soul musician, who has received multiple Grammy Award nominations, and is well-known for her singing voice, guitar playing, stage presence, and marriage to blues guitarist Derek Trucks...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
.
Equipment
Wilkenfeld endorses Sadowsky Bass Guitars and strings as well as EBS Professional Bass Equipment amplifiers, cabinets, and pedals.Discography
- 2007 TransformationTransformation (Tal Wilkenfeld album)Transformation is the first studio album by Australian jazz bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, released in May 2007. The album was recorded in New York. All seven songs are composed, arranged, and produced by Wilkenfeld. She also played bass on the album...
; Wilkenfeld's first soloSolo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
effort on CD - 2007 "Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007"; Tal's performance with Jeff BeckJeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
on "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" and "Big Block". - 2008 Live at Ronnie Scott'sLive at Ronnie Scott's (Jeff Beck album)Jeff Beck released this live album on November 10, 2008. Other performers were Jason Rebello on keyboards, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass...
Jeff BeckJeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
CD - 2009 Live at Ronnie Scott'sLive at Ronnie Scott's (Jeff Beck album)Jeff Beck released this live album on November 10, 2008. Other performers were Jason Rebello on keyboards, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass...
Jeff Beck DVD - 2010 Emotion & CommotionEmotion & CommotionEmotion & Commotion is the tenth studio album by guitarist Jeff Beck, released in April 2010 on ATCO Records. In addition to featuring vocal performances by Joss Stone, Imelda May and Olivia Safe, the album showcases a 64-piece orchestra on several tracks, and includes covers of well-known songs...
Jeff Beck CD - 2010 The Imagine ProjectThe Imagine ProjectThe Imagine Project is an album by Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs...
Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
CD - 2010 The SelloutThe SelloutThe Sellout is the fifth studio album by American R&B-soul singer–songwriter Macy Gray, released on June 22, 2010 in the United States. The album's lead single, "Beauty in the World" was released in April 2010...
Macy GrayMacy GrayMacy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
CD; Wilkenfeld performs on the track "That Man" - 2010 Six String Theory Lee RitenourLee RitenourLee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
CD; Wilkenfeld performs on "68" with Steve LukatherSteve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
, Neal SchonNeal SchonNeal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...
, and SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
; "In your Dreams" With Steve LukatherSteve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
and Lee RitenourLee RitenourLee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
; "Give Me One Reason" with Joe BonamassaJoe BonamassaJoe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
and Robert CrayRobert CrayRobert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
; and "Fives" with Guthrie GovanGuthrie GovanGuthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
which features a solo by Wilkenfeld. - 2010 "The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts" DVD Featuring Wilkenfeld with Jeff BeckJeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Sting, Buddy GuyBuddy GuyGeorge "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, and Billy GibbonsBilly GibbonsWilliam Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
. - 2010 "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum LIVE LEGENDS" DVD; featuring Wilkenfeld with Jeff BeckJeff BeckGeoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
and Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
.
External links
- Review of Tal Wilkenfeld's Transformation, from "All About Jazz"
- Review of Tal Wilkenfeld's Transformation, from Bass Player magazine
- Review of Tal Wilkenfeld concert from The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2007
- Serendipity website featuring Tal's music and links