[VIDEO] Funky Duet: Tal Wilkenfeld & Jeff Beck, ‘Because We’ve Ended as Lovers’

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and killer bassist Tal Wilkenfeld have performed this stunt (and variations on this stunt) many times on many tours, over the last few years, this is a good example. Regular readers may notice, we’ve posted Jeff/Tal duets before. (what concert is this, what city? The YouTube notes don’t say) This is not just a novelty, musically it’s fantastic. Jeff Beck is holding down the beat, on a single bass string, on the low end, with Wilkenfeld soloing on the high end, on the same fretboard. Is this complicated? Not really. But it’s musically better than it should be, if you listen closely, the stunt disappears.

Bonus: notice the time signature shift near the end, where Tal departs, Jeff maintaining the original time signature, without interrupting the momentum, still holding the groove.  This pairing has been among the most most exciting in jazz fusion in the last ten years, thrilling jaded audiences, boosting the careers of each artist, and bringing some much-needed vitality and sexy fun to an increasingly obscure art form.