Rest In Peace Jeff. The master of the guitar-sound has gone, but his wonderful music will be played over and over again. I especially love his jazz-rock albums from the 70's and 80's, but I liked his guest-playing on albums from Box Of Frogs, Kate Bush, Donovan, Cozy Powell, Upp and Roger Waters too.
Never saw or even heard of this before. Thank you for sharing. Just sublime playing.Originally Posted by Frumious B
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I updated a post below which had video pulled because of copyright. This one is good and appropriate
It’s from Live at Ronnie Scotts, and show is on DVD. One of the best I’ve seen. Tal Wilkenfeld is great on this.
Another giant has fallen, and time marches on. RIP.
Another devastating loss. I am thankful for the times I got to see him live. Get out and see the last remaining old school rockers while you still can. There's fewer and fewer these days and in ten years there won't be many left at all.
Some passings are truly painful. This is one of them.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
The first of the Big Three to go.
RIP, and thanks for influencing every guitar player who came after you.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
A great, unique player. Goodbye Jeff.
What else can be said about Jeff? The best rock guitarist. Saw him five times, first with Beck, Bogart and Appice. Thanks for every note!!
Jeff put a lot of feel and personality into everything that he played.
Great and significant musician!
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
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“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Vinnie slays on this. They all slay. Great DVD.I updated a post below which had video pulled because of copyright. This one is good and appropriate
It’s from Live at Ronnie Scotts, and show is on DVD. One of the best I’ve seen. Tal Wilkenfeld is great on this.
I've asked Tal to marry me. No response, yet.
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FWIW, I wrote this on Facebook:
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I am devastated by the news of Jeff Beck's untimely passing.
Of the three British "guitar gods" of the 1960s, Also including Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Beck was always on top for me. I was fortunate enough to have been at the Ronnie Lane ARMS show at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1983, and each guitarist put on a set (amongst other things). Clapton was good, but safe. Page, in his first live appearance post-zeppelin, seemed more concerned with posing for the cameras than playing (even did an instrumental version of "Stairway to Heaven").
Don't get me wrong: I love both guitarists, though Clapton's recent politics have definitely rubbed me the wrong way.
But Beck's set was by far the best, even though it was not entirely successful. Why? Because he was constantly taking risks, and that's what makes a show worthwhile, at least for me. The chances he took didn't always succeed, but I had to love that he was more concerned with trying to stretch things than deliver a safe set.
His way with a whammy bar was unparalleled, and his ability to evoke truly vocal articulations from his instrument was equally inimitable.
I saw Beck again at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2009 (review here, all photos here and in the article are mine). It was with Jason Rebello, Tal WIlkenfeld and Vinnie Colaiuta, and was simply stunning.
I actually bumped into him at the festival hotel, in an elevator. I was already in it, and he walked in, headed for the back of the elevator and tried to disappear into the wall. I walked up to him and quietly introduced myself, simply said how much I enjoyed his show and left it at that. I got a brief smile, and I knew he didn't want to be bothered by fans, so felt that I'd done the right thing, but was happy I had the chance to tell him how great he was. I spoke more to Jason Rebello the next morning, as he was down in the hotel lobby and was more approachable. Sometimes you've gotta measure the room and do the right thing, even though I'd have loved to have spoken with Beck at greater length.
This is as big a loss for me as Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie and Vic Juris in recent years, so all I can say is: RIP Jeff: we loved ya, we'll miss ya, but we'll never forget ya. Thanks for leaving us a ton of great music to keep your memory alive.
John Kelman
Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
Freelance writer/photographer
I shared a few thoughts on Jeff on FB I thought might be appreciated here too. I agree with John^^. He was a risk taker and because of that always was growing and bettering himself. Clapton and Page haven't learned a new lick since the early 70s....
"What was your 1st exposure to Jeff Beck's music?
Since I'm a little bit younger than some of his oldest fans, I really didn't become aware of him until the early eighties. The video he did with Rod Stewart for People Get Ready comes to mind. I was also aware of him through the Yardbirds, Jimmy Page connection. Once I picked up the guitar in the mid eighties I was a devout reader of guitar magazines and quite often Jeff's name came up. I just had to hear what this Blow-by-Blow album everyone was talking about was like and as soon as I heard it I fell in love. It almost seemed old to me, although it had only been out for 10 years at the time. That sent me on a wonderful journey discovering the rest of his catalog. The cool part was he was only about halfway through his career at the time and had much more music to share.
The release of a new album from Jeff was always something I looked forward to and enjoyed. He always delivered the goods and always was pushing forward into new areas. I think that's something that most of my peers and I respect and love the most about him. That he kept getting better! He wasn't satisfied to maintain a status quo like his peers. Most of which had peaked in the early seventies.
Seeing him live was always breathtaking and I was lucky enough to do that on several occasions. I really can't thank him enough for all of the wonderful music and inspiration. I'll never play like him, very few can. But that was never the point and never a desire for me. I was always more inspired by the bigger picture. The biggest inspiration was the pure joy that he exuded when he played. Just get in touch with that joy when you play. I often do...."
I remember a fair bit of buzz about that Ronnie Scott recording at the time. It seemed to make more impact than most late-career live albums do. I remember watching an edited version on the BBC, not long after it happened.
The first I heard his playing was via The Yardbirds. I imagine that it's a consensus view that their best work was with him, in that 1965-6 period.
I have been listening to the man since 1977 when I acquired Wired. I'll shamefully admit that at the time I bought the album because I was a total Minimoog buff and had heard that Jan Hammer was on it, who was then the reference for me on the instrument. However, without going as far as saying that little by little Hammer and the other musicians became secondary, the guitar gradually became the focus of the album for all the reasons that have already been mentioned throughout this thread. Nowadays however, whenever I've thought of Beck, the first thing that comes to mind is Blanket with Imogene Heap on the Ronnie Scott live recording. The song is wonderful obviously, but what really impresses and remains are the nearly "pointilliste" touches that Beck adds throughout the piece; effortless, utterly unassuming, but utterly essential. Not to mention the pleasure that exudes from his interaction with his co-performer...
RIP Jeff Beck
Ed
Last edited by rickmoraz; 01-13-2023 at 03:51 AM.
Jeff played on several tracks of Roger Waters “Amused to Death”, including this:
^^^ That's a great example of Beck's emotive playing with his masterful and perhaps unequaled use of bending and tremolo bar. Two other guitarists come to mind who were also able to approach this ethereal realm: David Gilmour (e.g. his solo at the end of Brick Pt. 2) and Larry Carlton (his subtle embellishments on Joni Mitchell's "Amelia"). IMO.
Of course, if you want the ultimate in this kind of emotive musicianship, we're talking about sitar vidwans and their use of the meend (string bending technique). Again, all IMO. YMMV.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Listening to Wired right now.
Never been a huge fan of Jeff but I have a couple or 3 albums on CD or cassette. I had a twofer cassette of Blow By Blow/Wired in the 80s. Wore it out. Jeff has a scorching Strat tone that no other Strat player has. Haven't heard his entire discography but of what I've heard, Wired is my favorite Jeff Beck album..
Wired/Blow by Blow for me. I had a listen to Beck, Bogart, and Appice - the tunes just don't work. Great musicianship but nothing there in the songs that would make his peers lose sleep.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Vic, I bet you'll love Guitar Shop!
This one really hurts. We've lost a giant - - a true innovator on guitar - - his style is as unique as his fingerprint. Jeff made guitar playing look effortless; like any and every sound in his head could be pulled from the guitar at a moments notice. He was always in complete command of his guitar. The only other guitarist that left me with that same impression was Eric Johnson who I've frequently referred to as "the American Jeff Beck". I'm gonna miss this guy being on the scene.
Heard the first track. Great guitar, and dig the saxes, but the 80s, gated purcussion is irritating.. I'll listen to the whole thing.
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