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Jeff Beck and Tal... together

#21
Tal is a very good bass player but I'm conviced she gets alot of attention due to being a young attractive female. I caught Beck last night and here's the review in today's paper:

Young bassist shares spotlight with guitar legend Beck

Riveting performance kicks off festival on action-packed night

Legendary British guitarist Jeff Beck kicked off the 16th annual edition of Bluesfest last night, taking command of the main stage in a stylish white outfit that set off his white Stratocaster.

The sleek, polished sounds of that instrument ultimately captivated the audience, but, based on first impressions, his bassist, the young Tal Wilkenfeld, stole the show.

The fresh-faced, curly-haired 23-year-old quickly demonstrated her ability as a monster bassist, not only showing off her rhythmic jazz chops, but also taking her turn from the boss on some mind-bending lead work.

At deadline, it was shaping up to be a riveting performance.


No mention at all of Vinnie Colauita and Jason Rebello...
 
#23
Smallmouth_Bass said:
Same thing in Montreal. I'm not sure you can steal the show playing with Jeff Beck and Vinnie Colaiuta.
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+1. From where I was sitting, I had trouble hearing the bass except when she soloed. No trouble hearing Jeff and Vinnie though. Vinnie is just awesome, I saw him last year with Herbie Hancock. Jason Rebello is amazing but he didn't take that many solos last night.
 
#25
I saw her yesterday. It was interesting. She was evidently proficient. But it didn't punch nicely in the groove. it's true, the guitar and drums drowned her out when she laid back. Instead, I ended up going and seeing a cuban salsa band with a raggae bassist. that guy punched like nobodys business, and brought me new perspective to the pocket.
 
#27
I'd like to challenge any of the tone/punch critics to go out and play 50+ different venues (indoor and out) and gaurantee your tone is going to be perfect everytime.

Once Tal's bass hits the board, a lot of that is out of her control just like the rest of us.

If you REALLY want to critique her tone, listen to her cd where she was in complete control of everything.

Critique away
 
#28
BigOldHarry said:
I gotta say something I wasn't gonna say... Since there is this great love-fest for Ms. Tal on this list...

I recently bought "Jeff Beck Live at Ronny Scotts" - a 2008 CD featuring him and Tal...

The bass playing ranged from adequate to just plain bad. I was *very* disappointed in her tone, her articulation, and her overall playing. Fret buzz? Missed notes? Muddy flurries of midrange notes? She sounded like a JV student at a varsity recital to me.

I've seen her live, now I've got her on CD - and I have to say she wouldn't have even got a foot in the door if she wasn't so easy on the eye... And I *really* wanted to like her - hell, she *is* awfully cute - but good is good and mediocre is... well...

:hiding:
Click to expand...

i agree
 
#29
BassXgirl said:
I'd like to challenge any of the tone/punch critics to go out and play 50+ different venues (indoor and out) and gaurantee your tone is going to be perfect everytime.

Once Tal's bass hits the board, a lot of that is out of her control just like the rest of us.

If you REALLY want to critique her tone, listen to her cd where she was in complete control of everything.

Critique away
Click to expand...

I agree.

Though I think she sounds fine on the Ronnie Scott dvd, I also prefer her tone on "Transformation".

It's funny to read the negative crap that's been written about Tal Wilkenfeld, especially on this; a messageboard dedicated to the bass and bass playing.

It reeks with male ego/insecurity issues and jealousy.
It's quite pathetic. Or maybe those guys just has really bad taste heheh?

The thing about her gender and look being part of her success is also overblown.

For instance, in the interview with Jeff Beck on the Ronnie Scott-dvd we learn that Vinnie Colaiuta heard Tal before he saw her. It was all ears.
:bassist:
 
#30
BassXgirl said:
To the OP Yango-
If you check out the older JB videos You could see their progression of their dual solo. It's pretty cool. The first solos are short and pretty sloppy. Then you see the ones they're doing now. They've nearly perfected it now.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely check them out.

They certainly have nearly perfected it... I thought it was a very cool act to pull off, and I know I wasn't the only one thinking that! The place was packed and everyone went nuts!
 
#31
Concerning this ongoing debate about Tal's abilities and tone-it's all subjective, everyone will have their own opinion, but the fact remains-she's playing with Jeff Beck! She wins!
 
#33
Personally I think that she's an excellent bassist for her age(She's no Jaco yet I admit-but tell me who can play like he did at that age) and she fits in nicely with Jeff Beck and Co...I've seen her up close -first row live twice and the Blu-Ray DVD about 20 times...I respect her and the band more each time I see them...it's easy to criticize...but its hard to get selected to get the gig by commenting in chatrooms, criticizing your fellow bassists, though you are certainly free to do so if you think its getting you anywhere...personally I think Jeff Beck picked her as mentioned after Vinnie told her about her as mentioned above( he tells the story of how she was discovered on the Blu-Ray DVD) and gave her the job because she was an excellent player who fit in with the chemistry of the group...not because she was cute. Jeff, Vinnie and Jason are the top players of thier respected instruments in the world...I'd tend to think they probably knew what they were doing when they brought here on. If anyone thinks they can do better than Tal, though...just send Jeff a CD of your playing...you never know, I'm sure he's an equal opportunity employer ;)? Peace...DAcat :cool:
 
#35
DAcat said:
...I respect her and the band more each time I see them...it's easy to criticize...but its hard to get selected to get the gig by commenting in chatrooms, criticizing your fellow bassists,
...
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yep, while we sit here hanging out on a message board and looking for *local* gigs,
Tal has been busy touring the world for the last 2 years playing with some of the most respected musicians out there.

To pmaraziti - clinic video por favor :D
 
#37
KennethB said:
It's funny to read the negative crap that's been written about Tal Wilkenfeld, especially on this; a messageboard dedicated to the bass and bass playing.

It reeks with male ego/insecurity issues and jealousy.
It's quite pathetic. Or maybe those guys just has really bad taste heheh?

The thing about her gender and look being part of her success is also overblown.
:bassist:
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+1

If anything, I think the fact that Tal is a female makes it harder for her. That is to say I think she's being judged harshly by many because she's a young female. Jeff Beck himself admits he didn't take her seriously until he heard her play.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I like her playing more than just about any bass player, including many of the "legends" that some people seem to worship. :eek:
 
#38
BigOldHarry said:
I gotta say something I wasn't gonna say... Since there is this great love-fest for Ms. Tal on this list...

I recently bought "Jeff Beck Live at Ronny Scotts" - a 2008 CD featuring him and Tal...

The bass playing ranged from adequate to just plain bad. I was *very* disappointed in her tone, her articulation, and her overall playing. Fret buzz? Missed notes? Muddy flurries of midrange notes? She sounded like a JV student at a varsity recital to me.

I've seen her live, now I've got her on CD - and I have to say she wouldn't have even got a foot in the door if she wasn't so easy on the eye... And I *really* wanted to like her - hell, she *is* awfully cute - but good is good and mediocre is... well...


:hiding:
Click to expand...

+1

thanks bud, i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks so. =]
 
#39
I have only seen a handful of performances on youtube, but she can definitely play well (and more importantly, play what is required in this situation) So, I definitely respect her playing and applaud her for taking the ball and running with it. However, her age and looks are definitely playing a part in her success. If she looked like Shrek she would probably be playing jazz in a small club somewhere, still unknown.

I think Jeff Beck and the other guys are savvy enough to realize that having a young, attractive female that can play what is required is a good business decision.
 
#40
Two things:

1. Personally, I don't think she's all that attractive so her looks have meant nothing to me.

2. Maybe she is a mediocre bassist with bad tone but I think why she ultimately got the gig is because she makes Jeff have a good time. Look at all the silly faces they make at one another and how many times they make each other laugh on the Ronnie Scott DVD. I know that if I'm laughing and having a good time onstage it makes me want to put on a better show.
 

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