Michael Jackson's guitarist for 3 World Tours, Jeff Beck's guitarist for 2 world tours, She released 3 solo CD's, a recent vocal CD, 3 instructional DVD's , and has written 2 books. ...
Guitar Player Magazine (Cover Story)
Sure the music business is tough for everybody. But for a female instrumentalist to succeed, she must have all the requisite talent that mediates against that success. Jennifer Batten is just such a musician”. - Joe Gore
The Indianapolis Star
“Batten is playful with the guitar, unlike a majority of guitar virtuosos who deaden all emotion with technique. Batten is having fun and that can’t help but effect the listener as well...Her versatility carries her debut disc in a dozen different directions, always providing a new surprise at each turn. It’s a rich landscape for Batten, whose flamboyance is hard to overlook.” - Dave Hill
Guitar World
“Young players devour her interviews for tips on two-hand tapping and other technical myteries. Hi-tech junkies memorize the gear she uses. She’s a complete athlete at the fretboard...a bruising monster”.- Alan Di Perna
Miami Herald
“An amazing guitarist regardless of gender-Batten rivals Hendrix, Van Halen... Batten has so much more in her arsenal than the same old power chords every would be Hendrix likes to trot out as though he invented them. Batten has squeaks and squawks and honks and roars and a whole library of other strange sounds She has licks that scorch the thythms, and she has guts”. -Leonard Pitts
Soundcheck Magazine
“This is an album that all up and coming shredders should add to their collections-right along side Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen” ... “During auditions, she beat out 100 other guitarists to win a spot on Michael Jackson’s Bad Tour”
San Diego Union
“Blessed with prodigeous technique, she brings advanced harmonic skills leaned from her jazz years to the blistering hard rock featured on most of her 14-song album” -George Varga
Press
Jennifer Batten Transforms a Session Gig into a Starring Role
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Jennifer Batten talks 'BattleZone,' her new album with Jim Peterik and Marc Scherer.
Michael MolendaJan 31, 2018
It was supposed to be just another session gig for Jennifer Batten. She had been called to action by producer/guitarist/songwriter Jim Peterik and vocalist Marc Scherer to add solos to their latest project. But then, something wonderful and generous and surprising happened.
“I thought I was done after the second set of sessions,” says Batten, “but Marc called me and said, ‘You know, your guitar is actually another voice on the record, so I want you to be a bigger part of it.’”
That “bigger part” was actually an epic upgrade to the artist’s first-class lounge, as Batten’s name ended up on the marquee for the album, BattleZone by Scherer/Batten [MelodicRock].
“I think I’m in it by default,” she laughs. “I wasn’t such a big part of the thing at first—I kind of came in at the 11th hour.”
While movie directors often take total credit for resolutely collaborative works with their “A Film By” credit, it’s truly gratifying that Peterik and Scherer recognized and honored Batten’s contributions “above the title.” And she deserves it. Her fiery solos are astonishing—melodic and unpredictable and jaw dropping—and they help bring an already well-written and thrillingly produced project to a near-cinematic level of emotional impact.
How did Jim direct the initial sessions for BattleZone?
Jim guided me through parts he knew he wanted, or little decorations, but he basically just let me go for it. For the solos, he pretty much said, “Here’s where you start, and here’s where you stop.” They turned out to be the most prolific sessions I’ve ever done, because we recorded four songs in a day in a half, and we wrote a new song
[“BattleZone”] after breakfast the next morning. It was pretty phenomenal, and there was such a positive vibe in the studio. Danette Pahl, the executive producer, was the ultimate cheerleader. She was just always dancing and smiling. It helps so much to have that kind of environment when you go in—especially when it’s a new group of people, you don’t know them, and you aren’t sure if what you play is going to be what they want. That’s always a crapshoot. But it was one big happy family.
That first session must have been a monster—four songs in a day?
I thought they were delusional [laughs]. And I had no idea that writing a song was part of the plan. Jim said, “Come up with a riff,” and he started singing the melodies with random words—or no words at all—into a digital recorder, and we built it into this huge thing. It was fun to watch it grow.
When you were tracking, what elements did you focus on to devise your own parts—the melody, lyrics?
I just went for it. I react to what I’m hearing in the melody and the groove, and I see what they make me want to do. It was pretty much off the cuff—“On your mark, get set, go!” Although, for the first session, I did listen to the music beforehand and jammed with it for a few days at home—just to get used to the vibe. I find that to be helpful, rather than jumping into things. Marc and Jim probably won’t be thrilled to hear this, but the lyrics are the last thing that comes into my thoughts.
Did working with Jim and Marc’s songs for the first time inform your solos any differently than usual?
Well, I’m always trying to jump in and do stuff that I haven’t done before, because nobody is going to get as sick of your own playing as yourself. I mean, you hear it more than anybody. So I try to plant a seed in my brain to take solos to places I haven’t been before.
So how did that tactic manifest itself for BattleZone?
I tried to get wider jumps in—through skipping strings and tapping things—because that’s always a challenge. But I’ll tell you, I’ve also had some pain issues with my hands, so I’ve gone to a hybrid set of much lighter strings—.008 to .042. All of a sudden, that opened up all kinds of fun, really subtle micro bends. I also like using the tremolo bar to make lines more vocal, as well as to slide in and out of notes. That comes from being influenced by Indian music when I was with Jeff Beck, and he recorded “Nadia”—which was based off an Indian vocal. I have a great admiration for Indian music. It’s so insanely difficult.
Did your solos ever get too weird for them?
Actually, I was worried about that. Jim did have me do a couple of things over. But for the solo on “Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open” at around 2:18, I was using a Whammy an octave down that almost sounds like a keyboard—an Emerson, Lake & Palmer kind of thing. I usually set the Whammy to a whole-step down to get a slide effect, and my solo sound almost always has that engaged in it. But, for this, I went for an octave down to force myself into a different kind of thinking. It can be a little difficult on the brain when you’re playing something, and know how it should sound, but your foot takes various notes to another octave. I think I first got into that kind of thinking from GIT, when I learned some octave-displacement riffs from Joe Diorio and his Intervallic Designs book. You can take any ordinary thing you always play, and move every other note or so an octave down, and, suddenly, it’s a whole new phrase. Anyway, for “Dreaming,” I thought I might get a “Can we do this over?” That was definitely one I was stretching to take it somewhere else. But they left it as is.
Did you bring your signature Washburn to the sessions?
For the first session, I did use my main Washburn—the JB100 that I’ve used for 20 years—and I retired it right after. It has been broken, it has been stolen, and it has been around the world being abused by airlines for decades. Then, I brought the new Washburn Parallaxe PXM10 to the second session. It’s trippy. I really like it. It’s very comfortable and it was the Stevens cutaway that makes it a breeze to reach the highest frets, and it’s the first time I’ve ever owned a 24-fret guitar. Sometimes, I still get lost up there, like, “Oh crap, am I in A or B?” I loaded it with Fishman Fluence pickups—the Modern in the bridge, and two single-coils—and I also had them do a custom short-scale neck, because now is not the time to brutalize my fingers by changing to a Fender scale after so many years playing a Gibson.
I hope you’ve sent the JB-100 off to a well-deserved retirement in Ibiza.
[Laughs.] After the last time it was stolen, I said, “Okay, I have it back. I’m just going to put it on a wall and look at it.”
What about the amps and pedals?
I walked in with Thomas Blug’s BluGuitar Amp1, and I used it for most all of the amp sounds. They really liked it, so if they don’t have one by now, I’d be surprised. There was also a DigiTech RP1000 on a few things, which has a built-in expression pedal for Whammy, wah, and other effects. I didn’t use much else—except on the intro to “Cuts Deep.” For that, I used a RP1000 patch called Swell. It’s kind of like the old Boss Slow Gear. You don’t hear the full attack of the note at first, but then the volume swells up automatically. In fact, that part was the very first thing I recorded, because I wanted to play along with the piano track.
How do you feel the BattleZone experience fits into your personal catalog?
If you look at my history, from Michael Jackson to Jeff Beck, it’s like 180 degrees in different directions. So this project kind of fits with the nonsense of my resume [laughs]. And I do like variety. I’ve been on my own for so many years doing my instrumental solo show, that jumping into something where the vocal is the guiding force is a good change for me right now.
Jennifer Batten: 'Playing With Michael Jackson Was Like A Paid Vacation'
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Played guitar on Michael Jacksons 3 world tours over 10 years, followed by 3 years with Jeff Beck. She's authored 2 music books.
Batten played lead and rhythm guitar on Michael Jackson's Bad, Dangerous and HIStory world tours, as well as in Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl half-time performance.
UG: What drew you to playing electric guitar? Who were your early girl guitar player influencers? Who are some of your new favorite girl guitar players?
Jennifer Batten: Well, my first girl guitar player influence was my sister (Sheri). She had one and I didn’t, and that made me mad [laughs]! So it was jealousy that got me into playing guitar and I let my parents know that the following year, during Christmas time, I wanted a guitar … it was kinda odd at age eight for an electric guitar to be my first guitar, but that’s what I got. I thought it was really cool—just like my heroes on TV, and The Beatles. As far as women influences, there weren’t any. It was all guy bands—The Beatles, The Turtles, The Monkeys—all-guy bands. I loved music and it didn’t really affect me that there weren’t any girl-bands at the time.
Self-taught, formal instruction, or a little of both?
Mostly formal instruction. I had various guitar teachers from music schools or music shops, and I moved around a lot. Every time we moved, I got a new guitar teacher, with a whole new approach. One time I ended up taking lessons with a guy from a band called “Up with People,” a folk-type group, where I learned how to fingerpick. After that, I got a blues guy, a rock guy—a lot of different types of guitar teachers covering a wide variety of music styles, which was great. This was before I got to Musicians Institute—that’s what really kicked my butt. Although I had taken lessons for all those years and knew a bunch of songs, I flunked the test to get in, because I didn’t know the tools or the theory behind them. I didn’t have my major, minor, or melodic scales down, and I didn’t know a lot of the chord voicings that I should’ve known. So then I studied with a guy named Peter Sprague in San Diego for six months and he kicked my butt into shape—to the point where I could get into the music school. That was an intense year of learning the tools of the trade.
What’s your method to learning music… by ear or reading music notation?
It really depends on the gig. When I got the gig with Michael Jackson, nothing was written out. I think it’s a lot more valuable to listen. I wouldn’t ever try to learn the music by just reading alone. It can be a help, but by listening to it, you get more of the vibe of what it’s about, and the attitude you should be putting in to it.
"I believe what helped me stand out from the rest was because I knew the “Beat It” solo – that was a major thing that Michael Jackson needed."
Can you give our readers a run-down of your basic gear (live and/or studio)?
Sure – it’s changing so I’ll share what I have and what I’m working towards. For the past 10 years, I’ve been using Digitech’s GNX Series which is a floor pre-amp with an expression pedal and all the effects built in. With most of my gigs, I fly over 10,000 miles to get to them, so there’s no way I can take an amp with me. And, often times when you request amps on the other side, they’re not right or they’re just crap. I like to have control, and everything’s included in the Digitech Series! I love having a Hammy pedal that bends down a whole step and up an octave. You just assign whatever you want to the expression pedal. The only other thing I take is a volume pedal so I can match the track volume or get louder with the drums if I need to.
I like to keep it very simple too. Even with a ten pound unit, a bunch of cables, and a volume pedal, I’m always charged excess luggage fees. It can be extremely expensive, especially in Europe where fuel costs a lot more that it does here in the U.S. So, my next step is to get all my sounds from Apple’s Logic Mainstage program, so that I can have all my sounds in my laptop to send direct to the house. I’m also adding a workhorse guitar which is the new James Tyler Variax. There are three different models: a Les Paul style, a Jackson style, and the other is a Strat type. And, although you can use the magnetic pickups that are in them, Line 6 technology allows you to use models of a bunch of different guitars. You get everything from a Les Paul and Telecaster to a Dobro and a Sitar. Plus, it has the technology to change the tunings with the flick of a dial.
I’ve gotten into acoustic over the last couple of years, including detuned acoustic. If I can only take one guitar with me, I haven’t been able to do the acoustic stuff. With this guitar, I can do anything I want and in any key. I’m glad that technology has caught up to where I want to be.
At what point in your music path, did you realize that you wanted to pursue music professionally?
I remember announcing it to my mother when I was twelve – I brought her into my room and did a little concert. After that, her response was “well honey, it’s a very competitive business.” To a twelve year old, that means nothing. I mean, I could tell that it was a warning, but you have no idea at that age what you’re up against. It was really just the love of music that kept me going. Sometimes I think I should’ve listened to her [laughs]. Overall, I can’t complain about my career.
What would you say was your big break – who “discovered” you?
Definitely Michael Jackson. I went from playing in six different bands in Hollywood to playing for the biggest pop star on earth. That was a hell of a jump. I had never done any big tours—in fact the only tour I had done was with an Elvis impersonator in the south pacific.
Playing with Michael Jackson—what was that like? And, what was key in your standing out from the hundreds who auditioned for Michael Jackson?
Playing with him was like a paid vacation. Don’t get me wrong. The rehearsals were tough, rigorous, and there were long, long hours. However, it was so exciting that it wasn’t any big deal … just exciting. I tell ya, it was kind of like joining the army where that was your life. Whatever you had on the side, or so-called life, was gone temporarily for at least a few months. Once we were on the road, it was just a vacation. Imagine: you get to see the entire world, and get paid for it. He had reached a point in his career where he didn’t have to play every single day, so we only played two or three times a week. We had time in Rome to take a day off to go see the Coliseum and the Forum … it was complete luxury. Ninety-nine percent of musicians out there don’t get to do this sort of thing. It’s so expensive to tour ... you’re either playing or traveling to the next gig.
I believe what helped me stand out from the rest was because I knew the “Beat It” solo – that was a major thing that he needed and I had played that for several years in a cover band. Having to play that for him, it wasn’t like I had to scramble to learn it or fumble through it at the audition. It had it down. And, that 16-bar phrase has earned me more money than all of my records put together so far!
"I went from playing in six different bands in Hollywood to playing for the biggest pop star on earth. That was a hell of a jump."
Collaborating with Jeff Beck, from where did you draw your creative juices—what triggered the inventiveness of your music then?
I’ve been influenced by Jeff since I was a teenager, when I discovered the Blow by Blow record, which was on the radio at the time (if it came out now, boy it would never be on the radio – good creative times back then). Just being around him was very exciting. He is such a legend, and so talented in so many ways, that writing for him was really just a joy. Inspiration just kinda poured out of the environment.
Any advice to up and coming musicians seeking to break into the competitive music industry?
Hmm, yeah … in the ‘80s and ‘90s, people seemed so interested in becoming famous—MTV and that whole thing. If that’s your focus, then you will most likely be disappointed. The best you can do is to maintain your passion for music, get better as a musician – play with other people and get experience. The better you are, the more versatile you are, the better your chances at making a living at it.
Which would you say is more nerve wracking: performing before millions or performing for an intimate-size crowd? Does crowd size even matter to you (ever get nervous still)?
Nerves come from not knowing the material. I’d say for me, it depends on the environment or sometimes even who’s in the audience. I can play the same show with Jeff Beck for a month straight and then all of a sudden, Steve Vai is in the front row and that’s gonna affect my brain – all of a sudden I’ll get nervous when I wasn’t before. I can’t say that I never get nervous, but it’s not that often anymore. It’s more about getting pumped up for the show – getting your show head on and focus on what you’re doing. The more you get inside the music, the less you have to worry about nerves.
Google “great guitar gods,” and you’ll invariably find Jennifer Batten on the list. How do you think you’ve earned this honor?
A lot of it is by association, who I’ve played with. Jeff Beck is a guitar god and Michael Jackson was the biggest pop star on the planet. That played a part in getting my name out there. Then, the people that are more guitar oriented, that are into my records, that’s a whole different audience. I don’t quite know who is voting but hopefully it’s more people who know my music than those who just see the big hair on Michael Jackson’s show.
Session/touring or solo artist: which of these endeavors has been your most fulfilling path?
Being a solo artist. I loved playing with Michael Jackson. It was really fun and sort of like being in theatre. You know ... I loved being a part of that. With Jeff Beck, it was 1000% more taxing as far as my responsibilities go. Instead of being one of two keyboards, two guitars, bass & drums, and a bunch of dancers and singers, with Jeff Beck, it was just the four of us and all the harmony was on me. I was very proud to be playing with him because he’s such a bad-ass and he hadn’t played with another guitar player since The Yardbirds. That was a guitarist’s dream—because all of his CDs were filled with keyboard sounds, and he didn’t have a keyboardist on the tours I did with him, I ended up playing a lot of keyboard stuff with a guitar synthesizer. I loved both of those gigs but in the end, it’s most fulfilling when I do my music and I see people enjoy it.
Do you have a project that you’re most proud of?
You know, it’s funny because in the last ten years I’ve really gotten into doing art. I did glass art pretty consistently for several years and this last winter I got into doing steampunk art which is Victorian era sci-fi art with copper and brass and other elements. I just had a couple gallery showings in the past few months, so that’s what is on my mind right now. Nothing to do with music! I see creativity as one element and whatever form you use to get there is kinda irrelevant. I enjoy getting into another art form, and then go back to music, and see what that brings to me. It’s gonna come back fresh in some way. Other than my art pieces it would be my latest record which is also a DVD ... I got into filmmaking as well, and that’s what my new show is about—playing along with tracks that are embedded into films that I make. I’m kinda all over the planet with creativity and what I’m currently involved with.
"It was really just the love of music that kept me going. Sometimes I think I should’ve listened to her [laughs]. Overall, I can’t complain about my career."
What are your current projects?
Currently, I’m subbing for another guitar player in the Zumanity. That’s an over-18 show—described as the sensual side of Cirque de Soleil. It’s a really fun show, a lot of talent, and a lot of incredible athletes. The music is really cool too and it stretches me. There are several songs that have me playing nylon string guitars, which I haven’t done in a long time (decades!), and another song where I play slide guitar. It’s really challenging in a good way. We’re doing 10 shows a week and I’ll be doing that till mid-February 2012.
Any “if I knew then what I know now” advice?
Oh boy, I’m not one of those who say, “if I had to do it all over again, I’d keep it all the same.” – I’d fix a whole lotta things [laughs]! I don’t know – I guess I’d have to tear it apart, year by year, to see what I’d do differently. There’s probably an offer or two that I was afraid of, that maybe I should’ve taken, which would’ve taken me onto a whole different path...
Any new favorite girl guitar players?
Teresa Russell is one. She won one of the Guitar Center competitions a few years back. I did a gig with her and I think she’s phenomenal—and she sings great. Linda Taylor is another one. She replaced me in one of the earlier bands I played in when I went off to tour with Michael. Linda also played with Tracy Chapman. There are some up and coming artists that are really fun, like Desiree Bassett. She’s 19 and she is with the Michael Jackson: The Immortal Tour (Cirque de Soleil) right now. Kristen Capolino is another young gun. I played on her record. You’ll be hearing about her.
I’m really glad to see Orianthi out there, doing great things to get women into playing guitar – she’s way more than a strummer/singer. She’s got it all, really. And, I think we’ll be hearing a lot from her for years to come. She’s brave, aggressive, plays well, sings well, and looks great. It does bug me a bit when they refer to her as Michael Jackson’s guitar player. I spent 10 years touring with him and she never did a live show with him, but is in the This Is It documentary film. So people assume this twenty-year-old has been with him for 25 years! It’s more humorous than anything.
Courtesy of Ultimate-Guitar.com
ARCHIVE PRESS POST
Guitar Player Magazine (Cover Story)
Sure the music business is tough for everybody. But for a female instrumentalist to succeed, she must have all the requisite talent that mediates against that success. Jennifer Batten is just such a musician”. - Joe Gore
The Indianapolis Star
“Batten is playful with the guitar, unlike a majority of guitar virtuosos who deaden all emotion with technique. Batten is having fun and that can’t help but effect the listener as well...Her versatility carries her debut disc in a dozen different directions, always providing a new surprise at each turn. It’s a rich landscape for Batten, whose flamboyance is hard to overlook.” - Dave Hill
Guitar World
“Young players devour her interviews for tips on two-hand tapping and other technical myteries. Hi-tech junkies memorize the gear she uses. She’s a complete athlete at the fretboard...a bruising monster”.- Alan Di Perna
Miami Herald
“An amazing guitarist regardless of gender-Batten rivals Hendrix, Van Halen... Batten has so much more in her arsenal than the same old power chords every would be Hendrix likes to trot out as though he invented them. Batten has squeaks and squawks and honks and roars and a whole library of other strange sounds She has licks that scorch the thythms, and she has guts”. -Leonard Pitts
Soundcheck Magazine
“This is an album that all up and coming shredders should add to their collections-right along side Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen” ... “During auditions, she beat out 100 other guitarists to win a spot on Michael Jackson’s Bad Tour”
San Diego Union
“Blessed with prodigeous technique, she brings advanced harmonic skills leaned from her jazz years to the blistering hard rock featured on most of her 14-song album” -George Varga