Tal Wilkenfeld facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tal Wilkenfeld
|
|
|---|---|
Wilkenfeld performing in 2008
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 2 December 1986 Bondi, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Rock, blues rock, folk, indie rock, funk, jazz, jazz fusion, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, bandleader |
| Instruments | Bass, vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | BMG |
Tal Wilkenfeld (born December 2, 1986) is an amazing Australian musician. She is known for playing the bass guitar, singing, and writing songs. Tal has played with many famous artists like Jeff Beck, Prince, Eric Clapton, and Mick Jagger.
In 2008, Bass Player magazine called her "The Year's Most Exciting New Player." Later, in 2013, she won the "Young Gun Award" from the same magazine. Tal also leads her own bands where she sings, plays bass, and sometimes guitar. She even opened for the legendary band the Who during their North American tour in 2016.
In 2019, Tal released her first album where she sings, called Love Remains. This album was a big hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts in its first week! Rolling Stone magazine praised her album, saying it showed off her great songwriting skills.
Contents
Early Life and Music Journey
Tal Wilkenfeld started playing the guitar when she was 14 years old in 2000. Just two years later, she left high school in Sydney, Australia, and moved to the United States. There, she continued to study music.
Within a year, Tal decided to switch from guitar to the electric bass. In 2004, she finished her studies at the Los Angeles College of Music. She then got a special deal with Sadowsky Guitars and focused on creating her own band and writing music.
When she was 18, Tal moved to New York City. She quickly became known in the city's jazz clubs. She would visit several clubs every night, playing her electric bass in places that usually only played bebop jazz. She said this was a "priceless education" for her.
Starting Her Career
In 2006, while playing at a club in New York, Tal met some members of The Allman Brothers Band. They encouraged her to join them on stage at the Beacon Theater. This was her first time playing on a really big stage! One of the band members, Oteil Burbridge, even handed her his bass during a song and watched her from the audience. This jam lasted about 40 minutes. Tal later sent a recording of this performance to Jeff Beck when she tried out for his band.
Later in 2006, just months after playing with The Allman Brothers Band, Tal recorded her first album, Transformation. She recorded the whole album in only two days! Tal wrote, produced, and played bass on seven songs for this album.
Playing Bass Professionally
After hearing that famous jazz musician Chick Corea needed a bassist for his tour, Tal sent him demos of her album Transformation. She was chosen for his 2007 Australian tour. A few months later, she joined the legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and his band for a summer tour in Europe. This group also played at Eric Clapton's 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago, performing for about 40,000 people!
In November 2007, Tal rejoined Jeff Beck and his band for a week of shows at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Beck chose this venue to record a new DVD and CD, which featured guest artists like Eric Clapton and Joss Stone. This recording was released as Live at Ronnie Scott's. During the same trip, Tal also played with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter for a TV show called Live from Abbey Road.
In 2008, Tal toured Australia with her band members from Transformation. She also played with Jeff Beck in a tribute to music producer George Martin in Los Angeles. She even performed with The Allman Brothers Band again at Warren Haynes's Christmas Jam.
A very exciting moment for Tal was getting a phone call from Prince in 2008. He asked her to find a drummer so they could form a trio. They flew to Prince's studio, Paisley Park, and started making music. Tal said Prince would give her simple instructions, and she would just create her bass parts on the spot. This led to Prince's 2021 album, Welcome 2 America, which features Tal playing bass on 10 of its 12 songs!
In 2009, Tal toured Australia and Japan with Jeff Beck. They also toured the United States, starting with Beck being welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They played with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page at this event. Later, Tal performed with the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She then joined Jeff Beck's summer tour through Europe, Canada, and Britain, where Pink Floyd's David Gilmour even played with them at the Royal Albert Hall.
Tal also played with Jeff Beck at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. They were joined by other famous musicians like Buddy Guy, Sting, and Billy Gibbons.
Tal has contributed her bass playing to many other artists' albums. She played on four songs for Jeff Beck's album Emotion & Commotion. She also played on Hancock's The Imagine Project, Macy Gray's The Sellout, and Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory.
In 2012, Tal played with Beck and Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live. She also played on two songs for the Toto album Toto XIV and co-wrote a song called "Running Whiskey" with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons.
More recently, in 2018, Tal performed with Bob Weir and his band Wolf Bros. In 2023, she played five shows with Incubus while their bassist was recovering from surgery.
Solo Music and Albums
On March 3, 2016, Tal Wilkenfeld released a single called "Corner Painter." This song was even featured in the Netflix series Love in 2017.
On December 14, 2018, she released another song called "Under the Sun." Then, in 2019, Billboard magazine showed off her new single, "Killing Me." Tal's first album where she sings, Love Remains, came out on March 15, 2019. This album quickly became number 1 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts!
Personal Life
Tal Wilkenfeld is very focused on her personal growth and practices meditation every day. She believes that meditating helps her creativity flow. She told Rolling Stone that she wants to keep growing as a person and hopes her music shows that.
Tal also loves stand-up comedy. She has even appeared on podcasts with comedians like Marc Maron and Bill Burr. She even helped write and produce a song for Marc Maron for a movie!
Equipment
Tal Wilkenfeld uses Sadowsky bass guitars and strings. She also uses EBS Professional Bass Equipment for her amplifiers, cabinets, and effect pedals.
Discography
Solo Artist
- 2007 - Transformation
- 2019 - Love Remains
Singles
- 2016 - Corner Painter
- 2018 - Under the Sun
- 2019 - Killing Me
With Jeff Beck
- 2008 - Live at Ronnie Scott's
- 2010 - Emotion & Commotion
With Herbie Hancock
- 2010 - The Imagine Project
With Macy Gray
- 2010 - The Sellout (on the track "That Man")
With Lee Ritenour
- 2010 - 6 String Theory
- 2012 - Rhythm Sessions
With Jackson Browne
- 2012 - Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International
- 2014 - Standing in the Breach
With Trevor Rabin
- 2012 - Jacaranda
With Wayne Krantz
- 2012 - Howie 61
With Steve Lukather
- 2013 - Transition
With Ryan Adams
- 2014 - Ryan Adams
With Toto
- 2015 - Toto XIV
With Todd Rundgren
- 2015 - Global
With Keith Urban
- 2016 - Ripcord (on the track "Break on Me")
With Prince
- 2021 - Welcome 2 America (recorded in 2010)
Images for kids
-
Wilkenfeld performing in 2008
-
Wilkenfeld with Jeff Beck during his Jazz à Juan tour, July 2009
-
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
See also
In Spanish: Tal Wilkenfeld para niños
