Jeff Beck

[Delta]

I just saw Jeff two nights ago in West Palm Beach FL. He's headlining The Stars Align Tour with Ann Wilson and Paul Rodgers. He's always been one of my favorites and it was the first time I saw him live. He had a 5 piece band including himself, 4 when there were no vocals which was about half of his 2 hour set. I don't know the names but he had two female musicians, one on bass and one on viola, the drummer, and a vocalist when needed. The set was great. My only quibble would be that the vocalist due to no fault of his own was maybe a bit over driven in the mix, but I'm perhaps being picky. I was kind of glad that there was no keyboard player. I've always thought that although Jeff has played with some great keyboard players such as Jan Hammer somtimes I thought the keys got in the way. The main thing, is of course, Jeff's playing. I felt as I was watching and listening that I was witnessing greatness. Nobody plays the guitar like this man. His use of his thumbnail as the pick and the finger work along with the whammy bar is something I've never seen before, at least in a live setting. Johnny Winter had a similar formula without the whammy, at least when I saw him. I'm forever astonished and so glad I took the 3 hour trek to see Jeff. I should add that Jeff played probably my favorite tune of his from the Blow By Blow album "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" which he co-wrote with Stevie Wonder.

[whitefang]

I've usually kind of liked Jeff, but he wasn't near the top of my "favorites" list. Good, but not "great" IMHO.

 

When he emerged as a solo act with his self named group's "Truth" LP in '68(on which the "group" was never credited) we all were more impressed with the guy who did the vocals, which later we learned was a guy named ROD STEWART. We all figured HE would go further commercially than Jeff, and we were right.

 

I like(and liked) a lot of his stuff, but honetly, there were and are other guitar players I found more impressive.

Whitefang

[Larryz]

@ Delta, Not sure who played bass for him that night but his young gal from Australia that has been playing with him is Tal Wilkenfeld. She's played with many famous players and is just flat great! It's a lot of fun to be in the audience watching one of the great guitar players and Jeff Beck is definitely a star! Glad you had a great trip and got to see him live.

 

We have to get out and see more of them while we can! I just went to see Asleep at the Wheel for the 2nd time a couple of weeks ago. And Marty Stuart and his band a few months ago. I'm trying to see more of the greats. I plan to see Tommy Emmanuel again for a 3rd time next time he comes to town!

[DocPate]

My favorite Jeff Beck era was when he was with the Yardbirds

 

[jimmac]

Glad you enjoyed his concert. I have only seen one or two of his concerts on tv but class him with Joe Satroni (SP) and Steve Vi (SP). They do incredible things with their guitars but their music does not reach into me and pull me in. Regardless great players. Jim

[Scott Fraser]

@ Delta, Not sure who played bass for him that night but his young gal from Australia that has been playing with him is Tal Wilkenfeld. She's played with many famous players and is just flat great! It's a lot of fun to be in the audience watching one of the great guitar players and Jeff Beck is definitely a star! Glad you had a great trip and got to see him live.

 

Tal Wilkenfeld hasn't been on the gig for a a number of years. She's busy leading her own band these days. Current Beck bassist is Rhonda Smith. Apparently Vinnie Colaiuta is back in the band after taking some years off, which I think is a very good move. Narada Michael Walden, who played the last few years with Beck is a great drummer, but I felt he stepped on the guitar too much. Colaiuta is a facile player who is better able to allow Beck to be the featured focal point.

[d halfnote]

As mentioned in OP one of the really great things abt JB is his deep command of note bending technique, often involving various methods in the same tunes, whether for showmanship or their precise, inherent value.

 

Did you see a solo Beck gig or one of those he's doing w/Paul Rodgers, etc ?

Besides, the aforementioned Vinnie Colaiuta (long a member of Frank Zappa's bands, so he knows abt staying clear of the boss's feet ) & Rhonda Smith, there's cellist Vanessa Freebairn-Smith & vox from Jimmy Hall---yes, the cat from 1970s Muscle Shoals rockers Wet Willie (I've never understood why the spell that town's name that way ).

 

Here's a recent clip of the band in action, demonstrating that the YBirds days are not the top of his CV. Unlike his compadres from that band he's stayed current & advanced through the present day.

I think he's even better than the Jan Hammer era.

& dig, JB's adopted Hendrix-style headstock !

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

[Caevan O’Shite]

...one of the really great things abt JB is his deep command of note bending technique, often involving various methods in the same tunes, whether for showmanship or their precise, inherent value.

 

I'd say, 'for showmanship AND their precise, inherent value'. Beck's easily a contender with very few shoulders to rub against for the Greatest All-Time Rock Guitar Throne, and pretty damn well in Fusion, as well.

[Delta]

As mentioned in OP one of the really great things abt JB is his deep command of note bending technique, often involving various methods in the same tunes, whether for showmanship or their precise, inherent value.

 

Did you see a solo Beck gig or one of those he's doing w/Paul Rodgers, etc ?

Besides, the aforementioned Vinnie Colaiuta (long a member of Frank Zappa's bands, so he knows abt staying clear of the boss's feet ) & Rhonda Smith, there's cellist Vanessa Freebairn-Smith & vox from Jimmy Hall---yes, the cat from 1970s Muscle Shoals rockers Wet Willie (I've never understood why the spell that town's name that way ).

 

Here's a recent clip of the band in action, demonstrating that the YBirds days are not the top of his CV. Unlike his compadres from that band he's stayed current & advanced through the present day.

I think he's even better than the Jan Hammer era.

& dig, JB's adopted Hendrix-style headstock !

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

Indeed. Jeff's playing has only gotten better over the years. He's an exceptional talent. Trying to compare his playing today to his Yardbird days or with Rod Stewart in the early 70s is just plain silly in my opinion.

[Larryz]

@ Delta, Not sure who played bass for him that night but his young gal from Australia that has been playing with him is Tal Wilkenfeld. She's played with many famous players and is just flat great! It's a lot of fun to be in the audience watching one of the great guitar players and Jeff Beck is definitely a star! Glad you had a great trip and got to see him live.

 

Tal Wilkenfeld hasn't been on the gig for a a number of years. She's busy leading her own band these days. Current Beck bassist is Rhonda Smith. Apparently Vinnie Coliuta is back in the band after taking some years off, which I think is a very good move. Narada Michael Walden who played the last few years with Beck is a great drummer, but I felt he stepped on the guitar too much. Coliuta is a facile player who is better able to allow Beck to be the featured focal point.

 

Yeah, I heard she has been busy with her own band. The 1st time I saw her was on my Crossroads 2007 DVD. She did an excellent job on bass backing up Jeff Beck...he did a very good job making that Strat sing...

[Caevan O’Shite]

Indeed. Jeff's playing has only gotten better over the years. He's an exceptional talent. Trying to compare his playing today to his Yardbird days or with Rod Stewart in the early 70s is just plain silly in my opinion.

 

Mos def. Jeff Beck's in the top-tier of the top-tier world-class all-time greatest, in any and every way. Players like Vai and Satriani admire and borrow from him, while any Blues or Rock player could also.

[Delta]

I apologize for saying that the one gal played the viola. She played the cello. Being a big classical music fan I should have known better.

 

[Eric Iverson]

Cello vs. viola - what's a silly octave between friends, LOL?

 

Seriously, standard tuning for both is C G D A, but the cello is an octave lower.

 

 

[whitefang]

@Scott:

Narada Michael Walden "stepped on the guitar too much"? Well...

I first heard of and HEARD Michael on The Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Apocalypse" LP, where of course, it wasn't possible for him to "step on the guitar" at all.

 

And BTW----I wasn't making any "comparisons" of Jeff's playing form one period to the next or another. Just recalling when, as a guitarist, he first entered everyone's consciousness. Back in the days when Clapton, then Jeff and THEN Page were the Yardbirds' guitarists, nobody really got into that sort of "guitar hero" worship that eventually grew up in the latter '60's. In fact, whenever the band changed guitarists, nobody really noticed much(if any) difference.

Whitefang

[Caevan O’Shite]

Cello vs. viola - what's a silly octave between friends, LOL?

 

Seriously, standard tuning for both is C G D A, but the cello is an octave lower.

 

"You say Cello, and I say Viola... !"

 

[d halfnote]

I apologize for saying that the one gal played the viola. She played the cello. Being a big classical music fan I should have known better.

I'm sure she could play either...just as a guitarist could play a uke or banjo.

 

 

FWIW here a vid that demonstrates via extreme close-ups many of JB's techniques: pitch-bends w/fretting hand & vib bar; slide; tapping; frailing (yes!); controlled feedback; block chording; vol contolled phrasing; trading licks & free improv w/other players...basically everything except behind the bridge & above the note bending (which he also does sometimes).

 

Nadia / Scatterbrain / 3rd Stone From the Sun & more

[video:youtube]

[spiral_light]

Literally 5 minutes ago my wife told me her big regret in life was not seeing David Bowie live so we'd better hurry up and catch Jeff Beck when he comes to (a) town (city) near us (relatively, we're in Vermont...) again. Loved his Ronnie Scott's DVD (sound was better mixed on DVD than CD). He, along with Robert Fripp and Richard Thompson make me want to quit guitar and take up an easier hobby, like, say, brain surgery...

[whitefang]

Well, HELL boy---

 

If I "gave up" the guitar everytime I heard somebody much better than I am, I'd have probably never bothered to TAKE IT UP!

 

BTW: My ex saw Bowie live, but it wasn't until the mid '80's, when he really(IMHO) wasn't doing much of anything interesting musically, and she thought it a bore. But, she went with friends and her ticket was free, so I guess it WAS worth the price!

Whitefang

[d halfnote]

Literally 5 minutes ago my wife told me her big regret in life was not seeing David Bowie live so we'd better hurry up and catch Jeff Beck when he comes to (a) town (city) near us (relatively, we're in Vermont...) again. Loved his Ronnie Scott's DVD (sound was better mixed on DVD than CD). He, along with Robert Fripp and Richard Thompson make me want to quit guitar and take up an easier hobby, like, say, brain surgery...

 

Fripp's done some good work Thompson is a truly neglected quirky genius.

[Caevan O’Shite]

...Thompson is a truly neglected quirky genius.

 

Here, here!

[desertbluesman]

My favorite Jeff Beck era was when he was with the Yardbirds

 

Mine was and still is the Blow By Blow era, and the There And Back era.

[skipclone 1]

He seems like an obvious choice for one of Joe & Steve`s G3 tours, but apparently he hasn`t shown any interest. I saw G3 with John Petrucchi, everyone played great (Steve owned the evening IMO). About a month later Jeff came to town. By the end of the show I was like, G who? he was incredible. All the G3 guys were great but, it`s like when you see a great actor, but you`re aware that they are acting, ya know? G3 had some fabulous technique. When I saw Jeff, I wasn`t really thinking about technique. He was totally inside the music.

[Scott Fraser]

He seems like an obvious choice for one of Joe & Steve`s G3 tours, but apparently he hasn`t shown any interest. I saw G3 with John Petrucchi, everyone played great (Steve owned the evening IMO). About a month later Jeff came to town. By the end of the show I was like, G who? he was incredible. All the G3 guys were great but, it`s like when you see a great actor, but you`re aware that they are acting, ya know? G3 had some fabulous technique. When I saw Jeff, I wasn`t really thinking about technique. He was totally inside the music.

 

+1. I almost don't think of Beck as a guitarist. He's a musician, & he has transcended the category "Guitarist". He is his own category.

[skipclone 1]

Exactly that. He has chops to burn, but he plays the whole composition in a way that mere mortals simply cannot.

[Caevan O’Shite]

He seems like an obvious choice for one of Joe & Steve`s G3 tours, but apparently he hasn`t shown any interest. I saw G3 with John Petrucchi, everyone played great (Steve owned the evening IMO). About a month later Jeff came to town. By the end of the show I was like, G who? he was incredible. All the G3 guys were great but, it`s like when you see a great actor, but you`re aware that they are acting, ya know? G3 had some fabulous technique. When I saw Jeff, I wasn`t really thinking about technique. He was totally inside the music.

 

+1. I almost don't think of Beck as a guitarist. He's a musician, & he has transcended the category "Guitarist". He is his own category.

 

Exactly that. He has chops to burn, but he plays the whole composition in a way that mere mortals simply cannot.

 

He's an artist and a Hot Rod driver and builder, literally and figuratively, mechanically and musically.

[A String]

So strange. Just not my "Cup of tea' I suppose. While I always thought he was an above average player, I never really heard anything that stood out as exceptional to me. Nothing really grabbed me and made me say "Wow!". Maybe I just haven't been listening to his "good stuff"...

[p90jr]

I like Jeff Beck. People who go on and on about Jeff Beck get on my nerves a bit, but I like him. He's a restless musical spirit. Definitely an individualist... my tastes lead me more to dig The Yardbirds stuff, also, but I give whatever he does a listen, and I learn something whenever I do.

[p90jr]

He seems like an obvious choice for one of Joe & Steve`s G3 tours, but apparently he hasn`t shown any interest. I saw G3 with John Petrucchi, everyone played great (Steve owned the evening IMO). About a month later Jeff came to town. By the end of the show I was like, G who? he was incredible. All the G3 guys were great but, it`s like when you see a great actor, but you`re aware that they are acting, ya know? G3 had some fabulous technique. When I saw Jeff, I wasn`t really thinking about technique. He was totally inside the music.

 

+1. I almost don't think of Beck as a guitarist. He's a musician, & he has transcended the category "Guitarist". He is his own category.

 

He might as well be a jazz saxophonist these days... and that's where I tend to file him in my brain, with Sonny Sharrock.

[Larryz]

I like Jeff Beck. People who go on and on about Jeff Beck get on my nerves a bit, but I like him. He's a restless musical spirit. Definitely an individualist... my tastes lead me more to dig The Yardbirds stuff, also, but I give whatever he does a listen, and I learn something whenever I do.

 

 

+1 of the Yardbirds 3 Brothers: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, I'm more of a fan of Eric Clapton. I just like his style of playing best. I never knock the other two as they are superb musicians and well above most of our pay grades...

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

 

[DocPate]

+1 Larry on EC. John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers were another EC Group.

 

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