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Tal Wilkenfeld

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Tal Wilkenfeld (born 2 December 1986) is an Australian bassist, singer and songwriter. She has performed with artists including Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Toto (band), and Mick Jagger. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" in a Bass Player magazine readers' choice poll. In 2013, Wilkenfeld was awarded the Bass Player magazine's "Young Gun Award" by Don Was; she then performed "Chelsea Hotel" by Leonard Cohen.

Tal Wilkenfeld
Wilkenfeld performing in 2008
Wilkenfeld performing in 2008
Background information
Born (1986-12-02) 2 December 1986 (age 37)
Bondi, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock, blues rock, folk, indie rock, funk, jazz, jazz fusion, folk rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, bandleader
Instrument(s)Bass, vocals
Years active2002–present
LabelsBMG

Wilkenfeld is a bandleader of her own bands in which she sings, plays bass, and plays guitar. In earlier work, she was backed by musicians such as Wayne Krantz and Vinnie Colaiuta. She opened for the Who on the North American part of The Who Hits 50! tour in 2016.[1] In 2016, she released a single entitled "Corner Painter" featuring Blake Mills and Benmont Tench.[2] Also in 2016, Rolling Stone said that Wilkenfeld was "working on new music that sees her evolving from an instrumental prodigy into a formidable singer-songwriter."[3] On 15 March 2019, Wilkenfeld released her vocal debut album Love Remains,[4] which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts on the first week of its release.[5] Love Remains has been highly praised by the press and was featured in Rolling Stone, Relix, Paste, Billboard, and Forbes. Rolling Stone described her vocal debut as having "ten dense, riff-heavy tracks with brazen, introspective lyrics—prove her songwriting abilities."[6] Wilkenfeld has also been a guest on popular podcasts, including WTF with Marc Maron, and Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast.

Wilkenfeld has recorded on projects with Ringo Starr, Brian Wilson, Toto, Todd Rundgren, Macy Gray, Dr. John, Trevor Rabin, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, Sting, Ben Harper, David Gilmour, Pharrell, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Lee Ritenour, Hiram Bullock, Susan Tedeschi, and Hans Zimmer, and Playing for Change with Carlos Santana.

Early life

Born in Bondi, New South Wales,[7] Wilkenfeld began playing guitar in 2000 when she was 14 years old. Two years later, she dropped out of high school and emigrated to the United States,[8] where she studied electric guitar. Within a year, Wilkenfeld switched to electric bass.[9] In 2004, Wilkenfeld graduated from Los Angeles College of Music. She accepted an endorsement from Sadowsky Guitars, and devoted herself to forming a band and composing songs. At the age of 18, Wilkenfeld moved to New York City and began performing in New York's jazz clubs.[7]

Early career

While playing at a club in New York in 2006, Wilkenfeld met some members of the Allman Brothers Band. She credits Oteil Burbridge and Derek Trucks with encouraging her to join them at the Beacon Theatre,[10] her first time on a large stage. The jam was about 40 minutes long; Wilkenfeld sent a recording of the performance to Jeff Beck when she auditioned for his band.

In 2006, months after performing as a guest with the Allman Brothers Band, Wilkenfeld recorded her debut album, Transformation, in only two days. Wilkenfeld composed, produced, arranged and played bass on seven songs with Wayne Krantz, Geoffrey Keezer, saxophonist Seamus Blake and Keith Carlock.[citation needed]

Professional bass playing career

 
Wilkenfeld with Jeff Beck during his Jazz à Juan tour, July 2009

After learning that Chick Corea was seeking a bassist for an upcoming tour, Wilkenfeld sent him demos of Transformation, and was selected for his 2007 Australian tour,[8] 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. The group completed a tour performing at Eric Clapton's 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago, performing to a sell-out crowd of approximately 40,000 people.

By November 2007, Wilkenfeld rejoined Beck and the other band members for a week-long residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Beck selected the venue to record a new DVD and CD, with guests including Clapton, Joss Stone, and Imogen Heap. It was recorded, filmed, and released as Live at Ronnie Scott's. On the same trip, Wilkenfeld joined Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, singer Corinne Bailey Rae, and drummer Colaiuta on a session filmed for the A&E series, Live from Abbey Road. Wilkenfeld completed 2007 with two standing-room-only Greenwich Village shows with Wayne Krantz.

 
The Tal Wilkenfeld Trio November 2008
L to R: Krantz, Carlock, Wilkenfeld
 
Beck with Wilkenfeld during her tour with Beck at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago

In 2008, Wilkenfeld accompanied Krantz at shows in Los Angeles, before an Australian tour with Krantz and Kevin Carlock, a reunion of the band which appeared on Transformation. At the end of the tour, Krantz, Carlock, and John Beasley backed Wilkenfeld during her headlining set for Bass Player LIVE! 2008 in Los Angeles. In July, she accompanied Jeff Beck in a tribute to George Martin in Los Angeles. She appeared at Warren Haynes's 20th Annual Christmas Jam while reuniting and performing with the Allman Brothers and guesting with Gov't Mule, Ivan Neville, and Robben Ford.

In 2008, Wilkenfeld received a phone call from Prince. She was surprised that his first words to her were, "Do you like the drum rolls of Jack DeJohnette?" [11] Prince had Wilkenfeld attend parties at his Los Angeles home. Sometimes he and his band played and she was the only other person there.[11]

Months later, Prince called Wilkenfeld from Minneapolis and said that he wanted to put together a trio with her; he asked Wilkenfeld to find a drummer for the act. Chris Coleman was selected; he had been playing with Chaka Khan and Rachelle Farrell. Prince flew Wilkenfeld and Coleman out to Paisley Park for the first time in late 2009.[11] In March 2010, Wilkenfeld traveled to Paisley Park; she began to improvise and play chords on instruction from Prince. "I just made everything up; he gave me no direction about what to play beyond a chord here or there. It was just do your thing", Wilkenfeld explained. "I never heard the lyrics, never knew what the songs were about, never heard the melody. It was like we had to be psychic when we were playing", she added. The process culminated in Welcome 2 America - Prince's 2021 album and first posthumous release with previously unreleased music featuring Wilkenfeld on bass on 10 of the 12 tracks, recorded in 2010.[12]

In 2009, Wilkenfeld toured Australia and Japan with Jeff Beck. Weeks later the group toured the United States, beginning with Beck's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They played Beck's Bolero there and were joined by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page on Immigrant Song. A DVD of this performance, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Legends, TV was released in 2010.

Between touring Japan and America, Wilkenfeld performed with the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as their first musical guest, after which she joined Jeff Beck's summer tour through Europe, Canada, and Britain. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour sat in with the group during a performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

In October 2009, Wilkenfeld reunited with Jeff Beck at Madison Square Garden for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary two-night concert. The set included Buddy Guy on "Let Me Love You Baby", Sting singing "People Get Ready", and Billy Gibbons on "Foxey Lady". The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts DVD, which also included "Big Block", "A Day in the Life", and "Freeway Jam", was released in 2010.[13]

Wilkenfeld was featured on four tracks on Jeff Beck's album Emotion & Commotion. In 2010, she contributed to Hancock's The Imagine Project on "A Change is Gonna Come" and "Don't Give Up" She played on Macy Gray's The Sellout on "That Man", Lee Ritenour's Six String Theory on "68", "In your Dreams", "Give Me One Reason" and Guthrie Govan's song "Fives".

In 2010, Wilkenfeld appeared in the Baked Potato's 40th anniversary show at the Ford Amphitheater with Steve Lukather's band; she accompanied Hancock across the U.S., Canada, and Europe promoting a new release on which she had played. The tour included a show at Carnegie Hall to celebrate Hancock's 70th birthday. In September 2011, Wilkenfeld accompanied Steven Tyler and Jeff Beck at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On 19 May 2012, Wilkenfeld accompanied Beck and Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live.[14] In 2013, she joined alt-country singer-songwriter Ryan Adams as a collaborator on his studio album, Ryan Adams (2014). She contributed to two tracks on the Toto album Toto XIV,[15] and co-wrote a song called "Running Whiskey" with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons. "Running Whiskey" was released in 2016 by Supersonic Blues Machine.[16]

In 2018, Wilkenfeld performed with Bob Weir and his band Wolf Bros at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California,[17] and the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan.[18] She was featured on the cover of Bass Player magazine's March 2019 issue. On 22 July 2019, Wilkenfeld appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Killing Me" and "Corner Painter". In January and February 2023, she played five shows with Incubus while their bassist Ben Kenney recovered from brain surgery.[19]

Solo career

On 3 March 2016, Wilkenfeld released a single, "Corner Painter", which featured Blake Mills and Benmont Tench.[2] On 15 March 2017, Judd Apatow featured "Corner Painter" during a 12-episode season two of his Netflix series Love.[20] She opened for the Who on the North American part of The Who Hits 50! tour, starting in Detroit on 27 February 2016. On her own she headlined between the Who dates, beginning in Toronto on 29 February 2016.[1]

On 14 December 2018, Wilkenfeld released a song entitled "Under the Sun". In 2019, Billboard magazine premiered her new single "Killing Me". Wilkenfeld released her debut vocal album Love Remains on 15 March 2019. The album includes Mills on guitar, Tench on keyboard, and Jackson Browne as executive producer.[4] Love Remains reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts during the first week of its release.[5]

Personal life

Wilkenfeld practices meditation. "I'm very focused on my spiritual, emotional, and mental growth" she told Rolling Stone. "I meditate every day, and I just want to continue to evolve as a person, and I hope that my music will reflect that."[21] In a Popdust interview she added, "Meditating helps creativity flow. The more you meditate, the more you realize that everything is a meditation. The silence is important."[22] Bass Player magazine asked about what it was like to work with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. She said, "It's comforting to know that two of the greatest musicians alive are just as focused on their spiritual paths as their musical paths, and for them, they're one and the same. I remember standing at the side of the stage a few minutes before I was going to play with Wayne, and he came up to me and said, "Play eternity!" Leonard Cohen, who I was lucky enough to spend time with, was also deeply focused on his spiritual journey. Self-inquiry is a very important part of my life, and it's reassuring to meet other like-minded people."[23]

Wilkenfeld says that stand-up comedy is one of her favorite forms of entertainment.[24] She has appeared on some comedians' podcasts: promoting her album Love Remains on Marc Maron, Bill Burr, and twice on Jeff Ross's podcast as well as once with Dave Attell. She co-wrote and produced a song for Maron called "New Boots" for a movie titled Sword of Trust.

Equipment

Wilkenfeld endorses Sadowsky electric basses and strings,[25] EBS Professional Bass Equipment amplifiers, as well as cabinets, and effect pedals.[26]

Discography

Solo artist

Albums
Singles
  • 2016 - Corner Painter
  • 2018 - Under the Sun[27]
  • 2019 - Killing Me

With Jeff Beck

With Herbie Hancock

With Macy Gray

With Lee Ritenour

With Jackson Browne

With Trevor Rabin

With Wayne Krantz

With Steve Lukather

With Ryan Adams

With Toto

With Todd Rundgren

With Keith Urban

With Prince

DVD and Blu-ray

With Jeff Beck

References

  1. ^ a b "Tal Wilkenfeld 2016 tour". bassplayer. NewBay Media. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Meet the Who's Opening Act: Bass Sensation Tal Wilkenfeld". rollingstone. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Meet the Who's Opening Act: Bass Sensation Tal Wilkenfeld". Rolling Stone. 3 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Bass Ace Tal Wilkenfeld Branches Out With Solo 'Killing Me': Premiere". Billboard. 29 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Billboard Heatseeker Charts: Premiere". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Tal Wilkenfeld: A Bass Virtuoso Steps into the Spotlight". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b Jisi, Chris (8 October 1976). "Tal Wilkenfeld: Thunder From Down Under". Bass Player. pp. 48–51. ProQuest 199959496. Born in 1985 in Bondi, Ausiralia, a beach suburb of Sydney, Tal had an early ear for music, humming along with Vivaldi. At age 14 she began guitar lessons, learning all the open chords and writing a song the first day. A year later, she heard and met Victor Wooten at a Béla Fleck & the Flecktones concert and became smitten with bass, as well. Firmly focused on becoming a musician and studying in the U.S. (and with the help of faculty member/Australian guitar god Frank Gambale), she headed to Pasadena at age 16 to attend the Los Angeles Music Academy. Following six months of guitar studies, she switched to bass for her second year at LAMA. While jamming at the 2003 NAMM Show, Tal was noticed by famed New York bass builder Roger Sadowsky, who gave her an endorsement. Upon coming to New York City to check on her Sadowsky bass, she met two of her musical heroes, Anthony Jackson and guitarist Wayne Krantz. By spring 2004, Tal had moved to Manhattan and was soon playing in jazz clubs with Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and others.
  8. ^ a b McCulley, Jerry 2 August 2008 Meet Tal Wilkenfeld, Jeff Beck’s Young Aussie Bass Prodigy Archived 6 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Bibby, Paul (28 April 2007). "Ace of bass just doing her thing". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. ^ Shelter, Matthew (19 March 2016). "Tal Wilkenfeld Paints The Corners". jambands. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. ^ a b c "Inside the Making of Prince's Posthumous Album, Welcome 2 America". esquire. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ Welcome 2 America - Prince | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 23 August 2023
  13. ^ "The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (2009 TV Special)". Paley Center for Media. 29 November 2009. Credits: "Tal Wilkenfeld – performer, Jeff Beck Band". Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  14. ^ Fanelli, Damian (21 May 2012). "Video: Jeff Beck and Mick Jagger Perform Election-Themed Blues on 'Saturday Night Live'". guitarworld.
  15. ^ "Toto XIV (2015)". Steve Lukather official website. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Running Whiskey - Supersonic Blues Machine". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Welcome Tal Wilkenfeld & Cover Donovan in Santa Barbara". JamBase. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Bob Weir And Wolf Bros Welcome Steve Kimock, Tal Wilkenfeld, Guest Horns in Tour Finale". liveforlivemusic. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  19. ^ Matt Owen. "See Tal Wilkenfeld play Wish You Were Here, Anna Molly with Incubus in first live show with the band". Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  20. ^ 15 March 2017 Netflix show LOVE season two’s music hits the mark, Passtheeaux.co
  21. ^ Zemler, Emily (23 July 2019). "Watch Bassist Tal Wilkenfeld Perform Two Tracks on 'Kimmel'". Rolling Stone.
  22. ^ "Bass Prodigy Tal Wilkenfeld Steps into Her Own Spotlight". Popdust.com. 28 April 2019.
  23. ^ Jisi, Chris (29 March 2019). "Tal Wilkenfeld: Root Awakening". Bassmagazine.com. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. ^ Spuhler, Robert (3 March 2019). "With 'Love Remains,' Tal Wilkenfeld is raising her voice | amNewYork". Amny.com. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Featured Artists - Tal Wilkenfeld". Sadowsky Guitars. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  26. ^ "EBS Artists". EBS Sweden AB. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  27. ^ Official video on YouTube.

Further reading

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