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Do we have any musical people on DC?
superboyac:
^ She is a pretty sweet person to say nothing of being rather nice to look at too. Her CV is extremely impressive. So much so I make it a point not to say "young" or "female" in the same sentence with her name and the term "bass player." She not a fine <fill in the blank> bass player. She is a superb bass player. Period.
And at the ripe old age of 28, she has a long career ahead of her. :Thmbsup:
-40hz (January 29, 2015, 05:42 PM)
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It's funny you mention that, because I actually had to go back and edit the phrase "Wilkenfeld chick lady" for the same reason. Yea, no question...she's the real deal. I'd very much like to hear this thing she's done with Jackson Browne.
Vurbal:
I'm always looking for female musicians because I think it's good for my daughters who play bass. Tal Wilkenfeld is definitely one of the best. I'm also a big fan of the Haim sisters, particularly Este Haim. It's not just because she's a bassist either. Anybody who can make Mustang Sally sound fresh and interesting is a top notch player in my book. Their parents are no slouches either.
She also has the best bass face in the business.
40hz:
She also has the best bass face in the business.
-Vurbal (January 30, 2015, 07:57 AM)
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LOL! Is that what they call that grimace so many bass players do? ;D ;D ;D
Learn something new every day! :Thmbsup:
For the record: I'm more the Joe-Gore-vacant-deadpan type myself. Or at least when I'm not glaring at a fellow band member who is screwing up the beat - or is doing the: "Wow! I'm really blowing everybody away with THIS extended solo!!!..." thing. You can almost see the thought balloon go up when they decide to pull that nonsense. And just before they start, they invariably look over at their bass player with 'that look' that screams - "Gimmee a lot of BASS!!!"
Nice to know we bassists are considered 'just the thing' when it comes time to cover up a guitarist's sins. ;)
And people wonder why I'm so clumsy on a crowded stage that I accidentally bop bandmates on the side of their skulls (with the head of my bass - oops!) as often as I do?
Yeah...I definitely need to be more careful. :-\
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@V - re: the Haim ladies. Agree 100%. Anything done in an attempt to improve Mustang Sally can hardly be a bad thing in my book. I personally can't stand that song. (Same thing goes for Sweet Jane.) I swear next time I get asked to play either of those two I'm gonna plug into a looper and record about a minute's worth, hit repeat, and then go get a fresh draft over at the bar... Cheers guys! Carry on. :Thmbsup: :P
40hz:
I am really enjoying your animosity towards Jeff Beck, 40.
-superboyac (January 29, 2015, 04:59 PM)
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It's not so much that. (Ok...maybe it is.) But I mean look... she's a superb bassist...her credentials are impeccable, so there's no need to do the débutante thing for her when she's on stage. The lady sounds and looks the part - and she has one of those really cute girl-stomp things going (more on that later) when this ageing ninny moves in, screws the beat, plus adds some bad sound to something that didn't need anything else - and would have been far better (and I'm guessing got the woman a great deal more applause) if he just allowed things to run on their own merits.
Jeff doesn't need anything to bolster his (somewhat unjustified IMO) fame or place in the history books of rock & roll. So it's not like he needs to rub himself on her for good luck like Sheryl Crow's husband (a big producer) did for his comely Sheryl when he got her paired up on stage and TV with everybody who was anybody when she decided to make a go of it. Ms. Wilkenfeld has a friggen' 'rep' for heaven's sake. She had established "studio cred" by the bloody age of 20!
So maybe Tal is Jeff's good luck talisman these days? Her now famous 2007 performance with an uncharacteristically considerate Jeff Beck at the Crossroads Festival did more for Jeff's career (most people were already fairly tired of him) than it did hers. Or so I think. But I could well be wrong about all this. My long standing dislike of all things 'Jeff Beck' (the 'whys' of which are not worth going into) sometimes tends to cloud my normally more rational thought processes.
Re: the girl-stomp thing:
Musicianship is performance art as well as a musical ability.
A good performer invites the audience into their world to let them see a bit of what they're experiencing. It builds audience engagement. And it's the courteous thing to do since many people (who are not musicians) are extremely interested in that thing we do. So by letting the audience in, you educate (and in the best possible situations) provide an impetus for them to someday become musicians themselves.
Because the truth of the matter is (as musicians) we're still pretty much a guild - complete with it's traditions, and 'secret' lore, and rituals and regalia...a pecking order...and all that other nonsense. So "opening up the kimono" is something most audience members appreciate.
If you check out some of her other performances, you'll generally see her do a little dance or bop to give the audience and idea of where she's coming from beat-wise. Or she'll play something very fine, then the look up at the audience and shoot a quick smile that seems to say (in a non-condescending manner) "Did you catch that? Do you see what I'm trying to say with this song?"
That's pure performance. And simple courtesy to your listeners.
Add that to demonstrable musical talent and sophistication, a shy little smile that'd melt the Grinch, and the sort of looks and mannerisms that hits the average libido with all the gentleness of a baseball bat, and you have a complete performance package. There aren't too many performing musicians who can (or can be bothered) to put it all together like that.
If I sound impressed, it's because I am. ;) ;D
superboyac:
So maybe Tal is Jeff's good luck talisman these days? Her now famous 2007 performance with an uncharacteristically considerate Jeff Beck at the Crossroads Festival did more for Jeff's career (most people were already fairly tired of him) than it did hers. Or so I think. But I could well be wrong about all this. My long standing dislike of all things 'Jeff Beck' (the 'whys' of which are not worth going into) sometimes tends to cloud my normally more rational thought processes.
-40hz (January 30, 2015, 10:47 AM)
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I remember this! And i think you are exactly right! That crossroads performance had me thinking about jeff beck more so than anything else i can think of. I have to go back and watch it.
I know "underrated" can be used to describe any instrument in a band, but a great bassist does typically tend to be underrated. I've probably learned more from bass players than any other instrument. They tend to explain things better.
It's interesting that as pop music continues to evolve, it's the bass that is getting louder and louder, while everything else is fading away, along with melodies, songs with more than two chords or measures (lol).
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