Please welcome our newest scholarship recipient, Hayley Jane Batt, to our growing family of talented young bassists who receive this scholarship in honor of Wes Wehmiller and what he stands for as a bassist and musician. Hayley, who is also a singer and songwriter, comes from London, England. She plays a Fender Jazz Bass as do many folks these days. Her timbre is thick, full of warmth, and her tonality shapes are full of joyful support for the music she’s accompanying. Pino Palladino, last year’s WesFest headliner who Wehmiller often cited as his most important musical influence, also influences Hayley’s stylistic palette.
Wes would have loved Hayley’s organic, provocative, and groove-heavy approach to playing music. Wes studied support and nuance. He was a marvelous musician who played from the heart with a miraculous ear for magic. The bassist’s role is genuine and often misunderstood. How can the casual listener appreciate a job that contains elements of brevity and structure demonstrating restraint and musicality all in one packaged skillet?
Come hear for yourselves the joy and magic of Hayley’s playing as she performs with Danny Mo And The Exciters at WesFest 7 on March 4th at the Roxy in L.A. Hayley and her own band will also be opening up this year’s D Mo’s Family Reunion on March 14th, 2012 at Berklee’s David Friend Recital Hall in Boston.
Peace and groove,
Danny Mo