By: Drew Amendola
Jennifer Batten could quite appropriately be dubbed the undisputed Queen of Shred, and one of the genre’s finest guitarists—male or female.
The “shred” classification is, however, too limiting a moniker for a player of such exemplary technique, inspiring talent, and amazing versatility.
Batten began playing guitar at the age of eight, influenced by the Beatles, BB King, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Jeff Beck. She later attended the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, becoming the school’s first female graduate in 1979. After being featured in Mike Varney’s Spotlight column,
Batten’s reputation grew significantly throughout the guitar community. She was noted especially for her technical prowess and impressive two-hand tapping style. At the time, the eight-finger tapping technique Batten had mastered was a feat of complexity practically unheard of in guitar circles, and established her as a talent well ahead of her time.
Playing in various fusion/rock bands, Batten also took on session work, taught at the Guitar Institute of Technology, and published two instructional books; Hal Leonard’s “Two Hand Rock” and “The Transcribed Guitar Solos of Peter Sprague.”
She was also picked from a large number of qualified candidates to take on the guitar responsibilities in Michal Jackson’s band for the Bad (1987-89), Dangerous (1992-93), and HIStory (1996-97) world tours, as well as Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl half-time performance (viewed by 1.5 billion people in 80 nations).
In 1992 Batten released the first of three solo albums, Above Below and Beyond, to much critical acclaim. Produced by former Stevie Wonder guitarist Michael Sembello (whose 1992 solo album Heavy Weather also featured Batten’s guitar work), the album exhibited not only Jennifer’s impressive chops, but an exceptionally broad stylistic spectrum, covering works by Aretha Franklin (Respect), Michael Jackson (Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’), John Coltrane (Giant Steps), and Rimsky-Korsakov (a two-hand tapping rendition of Flight of the Bumble Bee).
Between 1994 and 1999 Batten joined Dave Rodgers and Domino as featured guitarist on the eurobeat songs “Sun City,” “Music For the People,” “Fly,” and “Woa Woa Woa.” Although she wrote and performed on several other songs on the A-Beat C label, her participation has not been credited.
In 1997 Batten released the wildly original African/Australian/Scottish/Caribbean influenced CD “Momentum” with Glen Sobel and Ricky Wolking (under the band name “Jennifer Batten’s Tribal Rage”). She subsequently appeared on legendary guitarist Jeff Beck’s albums, Who Else! (1999) and You Had It Coming (2001), and toured for three years as a member of Beck’s band playing guitar and guitar-synth.
Batten’s third solo album, Whatever, was released in the U.S. in 2008. With this project, she ventured into electronica, vocal samples, and film. Batten has supported this release with a multimedia one-woman show, playing guitar in sync with films projected onto a movie screen. The album’s companion DVD includes over 90 min of art films, previously unreleased music videos, interviews, commentary, and an innovative guitar lesson.
Jennifer is also currently offering skype lessons, and her website (www.batten.com) features some great videos of her playing, as well as links to her hand-crafted glass and metal art work. She also has a new instructional DVD due out this summer from truefire.com (the first of a series of instructional materials). Additionally, although just back from a European tour, Jennifer has a west coast U.S. tour scheduled for July, and some concerts in Italy scheduled for August.
If you’re a guitar player, or a fan of otherworldly musicianship, you owe it to yourself to check out the “Queen of Shred.” Regardless of your style, Jennifer Batten will undoubtedly prove an inspired addition to any playlist!
