Jennifer Batten fascinated me when I saw her playing with Michael Jackson in the ’80s and ’90s. At that time, you could count on one hand the number of female guitarists who played at...
Jennifer Batten fascinated me when I saw her playing with Michael Jackson in the ’80s and ’90s. At that time, you could count on one hand the number of female guitarists who played at that level, and who had achieved that kind of notoriety. Jennifer broke things wide open, and she blazed the trail for so many of us to follow. Besides her stint with Jackson, she did some amazing work with Jeff Beck, and she remains curious and exploratory in her own music. (For information on Batten’s most recent project, BattleZone, check out the February 2018 issue of GP.)
You started playing at eight years old when an older sister got a guitar, right?
Yeah. I was green with envy, and I took guitar lessons right away. My dad was a jazz fiend, but I didn’t get into jazz myself until I went to GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology). That was a butt kickin’ year for me. The first time I went to GIT was for a guitar symposium where they had these clinics all weekend long. I auditioned to get in, and I flunked. After taking lessons from the age of eight, I found out I didn’t have the basic tools, such as major and minor scales, arpeggios, and that kind of stuff.
When you finally got into GIT, were you the only woman in the class?
It was a bunch of guys and me. It was shocking in a way, because I hadn’t realized how rare it was until I got there. I thought it might be 50/50—like a regular school.
Do you think male and female guitarists will ever reach a 50/50 ratio?
Not in my lifetime. As far as rock and roll guitar and soloing goes, there’s an aggression to it,