Tal Wilkenfeld is an Australian bass
guitarist 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 to Jeff Beck, Ryan
Adams, Herbie Hancock and others, 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.
Biography
= Early life=
Wilkenfeld began playing guitar when she
was fourteen years old. Two years later
in 2002, she dropped out of high school,
in Sydney, 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. In 2004, at age 18, she moved
to New York City 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 Band 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.
Upon learning 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
Jeff 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 Jeff Beck and the other band
members for a week-long residency at
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Jeff
Beck selected the famous venue to record
a new DVD and CD, with guests that
included Eric Clapton, Joss Stone and
Imogen Heap. It was recorded, filmed,
and then 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 Jeff 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 performed with The Roots on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 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 "Foxey 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
Trevor Rabin, Hiram Bullock, Susan
Tedeschi, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, and
Prince.
Wilkenfeld recently joined alt-country
singer-songwriter Ryan Adams as a
collaborator on his latest studio album,
Ryan Adams. She also contributed on two
tracks in the Toto album Toto XIV.
Equipment
Wilkenfeld endorses Sadowsky bass
guitars and strings as well as EBS
Professional Bass Equipment amplifiers,
cabinets, and effect pedals.
Discography
= Solo artist=
2007 - Transformation, Wilkenfeld's
first solo effort on CD
= With Jeff Beck=
2007 - Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar
Festival DVD, Wilkenfeld with Jeff Beck
on "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" and
"Big Block".
2008 - Live at Ronnie Scott's, Jeff Beck
CD and DVD and Blu-ray
2010 - Emotion & Commotion, Jeff Beck
2010 - "The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame Concerts" DVD, featuring
Wilkenfeld with Jeff Beck, Sting, Buddy
Guy, and Billy Gibbons.
2010 - "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame +
Museum Live Legends" DVD, featuring
Wilkenfeld with Jeff Beck and Jimmy
Page.
2013 - Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar
Festival CD DVD Blu-ray
= With Herbie Hancock=
2010 - The Imagine Project, Herbie
Hancock CD
2013 - Experience Montreux, Herbie
Hancock Blu-ray 3D
= With Macy Gray=
2010 - The Sellout, Macy Gray CD,
Wilkenfeld performs on the track "That
Man"
= With Jackson Browne=
2012 - Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of
Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty
International, on Love Minus Zero/No
Limit, with Jackson Browne, Benmont
Tench, Jonathan Wilson, and Jim Keltner
2014 - Standing In The Breach
= With Trevor Rabin=
2012 - Jacaranda, Trevor Rabin
= With Wayne Krantz=
2012 - Howie 61, Wayne Krantz
= With Lee Ritenour=
2010 - 6 String Theory, Lee Ritenour
2012 - Rhythm Sessions, Lee Ritenour
= With Steve Lukather=
2013 - Transition, Steve Lukather
= With Ryan Adams=
2014 - Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams
= With Toto=
2015 - Toto XIV, Toto
References
External links
Official website
