Tal Wilkenfeld

[rmd1064]

So, I saw The Who concert in Pittsburgh last night and it was a great show, with a terrific set list celebrating their 50 years. Go see it if it comes to your town. Amazing.

Meanwhile the opening act was Tal Wilkenfeld, a 29 year old Australian gal who for years has been a bassist for stars like Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, Macy Gray, Jackson Browne and others. Now she is doing her own music adding her vocals while playing guitar and bass. I thought she was terrific---a kind of throwback to the jazz fusion prog rock Seventies. Really enjoyed her set and she even reminds me of Haley (with the long curly locks). Check her out....

[Miguel]

2019...

Does Haley know Tal?

Baltin: We ran into each other last week at a coffee shop when I was interviewing Haley Reinhart. It's nice to have all these legends and mentors behind you, but I am sure it is also nice to have contemporaries as well you are friends with. Talk about the importance of a musical community and how it helps you.

Wilkenfeld; I wish there was more of a musical community for me to tap into. I’ve been lucky to have found a strong community in the comedy world. There are so many venues in Los Angeles and New York where comics can go and do 15 minute sets and where audience recording is not allowed. This gives the performer a chance to try new things out without the pressure of knowing that someone is going to upload it to Instagram or YouTube and be judged like it’s a finished piece of art. The comics hang out at these clubs and compare notes. It’s so fun and inspiring. I wish there were more places like that for musicians. If there are, I’m not aware of them. As for my contemporaries, there are so many talented artists emerging who I’m inspired by.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin...9c1d4561af

Article intro touts her bonafides.

There is an old cliche that the company you keep says a lot about you. The first time I met bass playing virtuoso Tal Wilkenfeld was at the iHeartMusic festival in Las Vegas when she was with Steven Tyler and Jeff Beck. If in fact that adage is true Wilkenfeld is someone special in the music world.

Just look at the A-list names that appear in the EPK premiering here with this article. The EPK was made to highlight Wilkenfeld's debut solo album, Love Remains, which debuted at No 1 last week on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. In the more than six-minute clip, seen here, we see Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Jackson Browne, Don Was and more sing their praise for Wilkenfeld.

"There are instrumentalists who are very good writers. But I can't think of another instrumentalist that has ventured into the area that Tal has ventured into when it comes to singing songs of her own experience," Browne says.

"She's so incredibly talented, such a great musician, I sat and watched her soundcheck and there was this fully formed singer/songwriter and her music is vibrant," Townshend says before we see him speaking directly to Wilkenfeld.

Interesting: "I’ve been very blessed to have had musical conversations with some of the most gifted and skilled musicians in the world. Their perspectives have widened my scope and I’m infinitely grateful. Also, Jackson Browne and Benmont Tench are largely responsible for introducing me to most of my favorite music, including Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. I know that might sound ridiculous to some, but I didn’t grow up with their music."