The Steel Guitar Forum

NHOP = Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Excellent bassist!!!!

Oh! Thanks. I think I got confused since he's an upright guy. Fine player indeed! Not as cute though.

Sadly, NHOP passed away in 2005, only 58 years old. One of the great masters indeed, but I don't quite see how it's possible to compare him and Wilkenfield, that's a bit like comparing Jennifer Batten to Joe Pass,- totally different styles...

Steinar

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Steinar Gregertsen wrote:I don't quite see how it's possible to compare him and Wilkenfield, that's a bit like comparing Jennifer Batten to Joe Pass,- totally different styles... Steinar

I wasn't making a comparison ...just stating an opinion. I would never try to compare any player to NHOP. My point, perhaps stated badly , was that Wilkenfield doesn't seem to be anything special. Just an average bassist. I think her "rack" ( and I don't mean audio equipment) has more to do with her success than her playing.

G Strout wrote:[ Wilkenfield doesn't seem to be anything special. Just an average bassist. I think her "rack" ( and I don't mean audio equipment) has more to do with her success than her playing.

I think Jeff Beck would not have "just an average bassist" tour with him, even one with a nice "rack"... and that's a crude insult to female musicians....if you consider her just average, who's gotten success by her chest rather than her abilities, I'd love to hear you and your band, you must make Jeff and his group sound like weekend warriors, right? Got any sound clips to share?

He should pay that little gal better so she could afford some pants that fit and a bra.

Joe - you are entitled to your opinions. Now please crawl back into your cave

I think her "rack" ( and I don't mean audio equipment) has more to do with her success than her playing.

Y'know, the amount of sour grapes on this board is amazing. A bunch of cranky old men who play in their bedrooms and know everything. Sexism abounds. Very sad.
This IS 2008, right?

That girl is an EXTREMELY good bassist.. oozes talent.. I can't believe some of the replies here.. Is she on the level of the worlds best?? .. probably not yet, but hey, she IS on stage with Jeff Beck.. How many of US can make a claim like that???.. bob

Tal is simply a great bassist. I doubt if Victor Wooten would lay down any better groove for the band. Has anybody mentioned that Mary Osborne was built? Let's see, Marian McPartland just turned 90. I bet she couldn't play squat if she didn't wear a dress to work. And Rosetta Tharpe? What a CABOOSE!!
Honestly, some people.

The only thing I've heard from Tal is this show with Jeff Beck and I loved it. Thought she played great and if she happens to look good that's OK with me. In some ways I like her playing better than Vicor Wooten. Victor is an amazing player, but sometimes it seems he is just playing fast for no apparent reason. I'd like to hear more of Tal, and it will be interesting to see where she goes with her talent.

When Bill Hatcher evaluates a bass player, I listen. In my opinion, he is among the very best on the planet.
Clyde

I really can't understand what's so wrong about her playing. So she overplays a little on the ballad and is a little too eager to show how good she is, but that's typical for just about every 22 year old talent. Being that young and up on stage with one of rocks greatest legends, in front of such a huge crowd, would send the adrenalin rushing in just about everyone, whether 22 or 66.

Using her good looks and 'hot' stage presence against her is just... well, I can't find the words for it and if I did I don't think they would have been appropriate on this forum.

Steinar

Mike Winter wrote:Here's Tal Wilkenfeld's websites:

http://www.talwilkenfeld.com/Tal.html

http://www.myspace.com/talwilkenfeld

Don't look, Joe!!!!! you might not like what ya see

From what I read on her website, at no time does she ever say that she plays like Jako, she just plays.

Also, noting her technique and note choice, it's obvious that she has studied and practiced to get to her degree of proficiency.

This is what I lifted from her bio.

"She has played bass behind CHICK COREA, JEFF BECK, HIRAM BULLOCK, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, VINNIE COLAIUTA, WAYNE KRANTZ, RUSSELL FERRANTE, FRANK GAMBALE, KENWOOD DENNARD, GEOFFREY KEEZER, JEFF "TAIN" WATTS, ERIC KRAZNO, OTEIL BURBRIDGE, SUSAN TEDESCHI, DAVE KIKOSKI, JOHN BEASLEY, and worked on various projects with RICKEY MINOR."

These are pretty heavy hitters who would not suffer musical fools. Just what does it take to please the bitter and jealous among us?


I say wish her well and show a little respect for her. I don't see why she should be ashamed of being young and beautiful.

No no no no no!!! Nobody plays like Jaco played.

She WANTS to play like Jaco played. That makes better sense to me.

True, Bill, no one played like Jaco. And no one plays like Bromberg. Brian, that is. His "Metal" album is in heavy rotation in my CD player.

http://208.65.153.238/watch?v=yVnWpLALWhw

http://208.65.153.238/watch?v=kGyo_XvVO-I

He plays a mean upright bass, too.


Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

I don't think she got where she is entirely for looks, but she's still just average, so far. Her size and cuteness are what makes it appealing for Jeff Beck to hire her instead of a few thousand other people who can do a good job, that's all - do you guys not know that for a good guitar player, playing bass is so easy it's boring? Don't overplay, don't lose the beat on odd meters... don't be old and fat... There's a half-dozen people on this website alone who could play the parts, but they're old and fat. I heard her whole solo album, it's like, average - I wouldn't listen to it often if I bought it, when there's so much other better stuff. Give it five years - she may keep growing as a composer, she might stagnate from early "success."

Jeff Beck's main writing partner was Tony Hymas but he didn't like to tour so Beck hired Jennifer Batten to tap Tony's keyboard parts on a guitar synthesizer - gee, I wonder if he likes pretty girls....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZBuzbe9xCo

The most impressive bass players I have heard in recent years are Robertino Pagliari with OHM and Jonas Hellborg, but Jeff Beck is a star - he plays with back-up musicians. I wish he did put himself in more challenging situations, but not too many stars have real bands anymore anyways - why bother?
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =231017198

First of all,- I'm pretty sure that the comments would have been more positive if it hadn't been a cute young girl playing. Sad, but true.

As for

for a good guitar player, playing bass is so easy it's boring?

I don't agree. In order to play good bass you have to think like a bass player, and most guitarists still think like a guitarist when they strap on a bass.
Of course it depends on the type of music being played, but in my opinion many guitarists actually are quite lousy bass players.

gee, I wonder if he likes pretty girls....

He probably does, and so what? Jennifer Batten is a highly skilled guitarist who, in between releasing critically acclaimed instructional videos and solo albums, also toured as Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for many years.

I wish he did put himself in more challenging situations,

I would love to hear more of Beck collaborating with good singers, but besides that I think he's one of the few, if not the only, rock guitarist of his generation who is constantly challenging himself. Transferring Indian vocal melodies for guitar, as he did in the tune "Nadia", is quite a challenge I would say, and it takes both guts and skills to do what he did with that tune.

Steinar

If she was a guy we wouldn't be having a discussion on her merits.

If she was a guy we wouldn't be having a discussion on her merits.

Exactly! If you heard a tape of this, you'd not jump up and say "Holy Cow! What a bass player!" If you were told it was Bob Smith from Scranton, you'd think "Well, he's adequate."

Unlike this - if you heard a tape of this, you'd surely say "Who's that singer?"

(Hint: the good stuff starts at 1:45 in.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt5vlquF ... re=related