May 7, 2009 - June 11, 2009 - July 21, 2009 - October 1, 2009 - November 4, 2009 - December 5, 2009 - December 15, 2009
Now onto what Jeff's new management will have him doing this year as far as touring. Below is an updated (thanks to Doc at the 'Guitarist's Guitarist board) schedule which includes the recently announced appearance of Jeff at the Montreal Jazz Fest July 6th. Hey, Canada is awfully close to the U.S., hmmmm.
JEFF BECK WORLD TOUR 2009 Drums: Vinnie Colaiuta Bass: Tal Wilkenfeld Keyboards/Synthesizers: David Sancious AUSTRALIA JANUARY 23 Jan Perth Challenge Stadium 25 Jan Adelaide Thebarton Theatre 26 Jan Melbourne Palais Theatre 27 Jan Melbourne Palais Theatre 29 Jan Brisbane Convention Centre 30 Jan Sydney Enmore Theatre 30 Jan Sydney Enmore Theatre 31 Jan Sydney Enmore Theatre FEBRUARY 1 Feb Sydney Enmore Theatre NEW ZEALAND 3 Feb Auckland ASB Theatre JAPAN 6 Feb Tokyo International Forum 7 Feb Tokyo International Forum 9 Feb Tokyo NHK Hall 11 Feb Yokohama Pacifico 12 Feb Nagoya Aichi Geijutsu Gekijo 13 Feb Kanazawa Ishikawa Koseinkin Kaikan 16 Feb Fukuoka Zepp 18 Feb Osaka Osaka Koseinenkin Kaikan Hall 19 Feb Osaka Osaka Koseinenkin Kaikan Hall *21 Feb w/ Eric Clapton Saitama Konnos Arena* *22 Feb w/ Eric Clapton Saitama * these are not totally confirmed, they are said to be doing a set each and then coming back for a set together
GREAT BRITAIN JUNE 24 Jun Brighton England Dome 25 Jun Birmingham England Symphony Hall 26 Jun New Castle City Hall 27 Jun Manchester England Apollo 30 Jun Belfast Ireland Ulster Hall JULY 1 Jul Dublin Ireland Vicker Street 3 Jul Southhampton Isles Guild Hall 4 Jul London Royal Albert Hall CANADA 6 Jul Montreal Jazz Fest - Salle Wilfrid-PelletierWe recently heard from Jennifer Batten, she's all jazzed about her appearance at the Les Paul tribute show. Very cool. And finally here's a cool link to a story from lengendary roadie Dinky Dawson who worked the Mahavishnu/Jeff Beck tour in 1975 that appeared in a recent issue of Crawdaddy....'Bernard Pony'?
As we screamed across our marquee, Jeff will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 4th as a solo artist. As you know
he's already in as a member of The Yardbirds. Who will induct him? Don't know for sure but there are a million rumours the most
prominent being Jimmy Page, but we'll see. Not sure if it's the new management or the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nod but
Jeff's gotten ton of ink (or I guess pixels) lately, here are some links...(thanks, EM)
http://www.chrishewlett.com/archive/detail.php?id=92
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25451685/metallica_rundmc_jeff_beck_lead_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fames_class_of_2009
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/16/jeff-beck-opens-up-about-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-gigs-with-clapton-jeff-beck-group-reunion-prospects/
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3iecbc44179b8d6b31468c6557fc70d1a8
http://guitarplayer.com/article/web-exclusive-jeff/nov-08/1460
http://www.therockradio.com/2009/01/jeff-beck-looking-forward-to-japan.html
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Jeff-Beck-1954-Les-Paul-Oxblood.aspx
The last link there to the Gibson Custom Shop is to the new Jeff Beck Oxblood '54 Les Paul. Now coincidentally this year is the Chinese year of the ox which in Chinese lore represents 'prosperity through hard work'. Hmmm. For the the true and complete story of that guitar check out Jeff Beck Bulletin #15 for Buddy Davis' story. Below is a picture of Jeff and Harvey Goldsmith standing in front of what we guess are the first limited edition 50 guitars that Jeff is signing. This deal with Gibson has been the works for years and coincidentally came about just as Jeff was switching management. The guitar looks and I'm sure sounds great but a wrap-around bridge? (P.S. Have you seen the Michael Bloomfield edition Les Paul?!)(BA)
Now onto the Australian Tour! Here's a link to an interview Jeff did with Australia's ABC network;
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2470427.htm very cool.
And here are links to media reviews of the first two dates, Perth and Adelaide, no fan reviews yet.;
http://www.watoday.com.au/news/entertainment/music/becks-back-after-32-years-for-strat-attack/2009/01/22/1232471467148.html
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24963972-16601,00.html
And here's a link to some very cool pictures from the Perth show.;
http://www.buzzine.com/2009/01/jeff-beck-plays-perth/
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/gallery/9335/Jeff-Beck.htm
The only set list we've seen was in the above gallery. The photographer (hope he doesn't mind I nicked it) took a shot of it either at the stage or on
the sound-desk, it says;
Bolero Pump Eternity's Breath You Never Know Cause We've Ended Behind The Veil Blast Stratus Angel Led Boots Nadia Snake Oil Pork Pie/Brush Big Block Blue Wind A Day In The Life Scottish One Where Were YouWe got a hint in Harvey Goldsmith's press release that Jeff had a new album ready to go. Now (thanks R.E.), we've seen in the February issue of UNCUT magazine, page 44, paraphrasing,"Jeff Beck will have a new album out..... new material! He's calling it "vicious adult metal". Imogen Heap singing on it with his current band. 17 hours of material... he says he wants it out for the Australia tour. No release date or title..... and he says it may only be 5 tracks. It sounds like someone in California is mixing it. "It's got a Southern, stinky, swampy feel. You've got glorious, simple melodies with a sound that is beyond metal. this is 'adult metal'. Hmmm.
"Bolin was one of Jeff Beck's favorite guitarists, and they toured together in 1976 (which sadly, ended earlier expected due to Tommy's death). For the book, I interviewed such Beck-related players as Jan Hammer and Carmine Appice, who discuss at length Beck and Tommy's friendship, memories of the Jeff/Tommy tour in '76, and how Tommy's playing on Billy Cobham's 'Spectrum' served as a blueprint for Beck's 'Blow by Blow' and 'Wired' albums."You can order and read a sample chapter of Greg's book at; http://stores.lulu.com/gregprato
Jennifer Batten (or JB2 as we like to call her) has been doing some stuff.
APRIL 4 Apr Public Hall Cleveland, OH - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION 6 Apr Scranton PA Cultural Center 9 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 10 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 13 Apr Boston MA House of Blues 15 Apr Cleveland OH House of Blues 16 Apr Chicago IL Park West 17 Apr Chicago IL Park West 21 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre 22 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre JULY 6 Jul Montreal Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier 9 Jul Quebec City Saint-Roch In Old QuebecTickets go on sale for the first half of the shows February 13th and 14th.
As you know the Japanese leg of the tour is going on now and again thanks to Doc, he sent us this link to tour merchandise available online for the tour. Can you order this stuff online outside of Japan? Not sure, I can't figure out all the yen stuff but we're guessing this would be a good preview of what will be available at the concessions during the U.S. and UK tours; http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.udo.co.jp/Goods/JeffBeck/index.html
Another of our contributers, R.E. Barnes, sent us this link that is an article about Gibson's release of the Oxblood Les Paul that
we mentioned last update. What again is of interest is the mention of a new studio CD who's release seems imminent. We also got
a note from a bloke who attended one of the Melbourne shows that the Australian tour program mentioned both that Jeff was now under
new management and a new studio CD was soon to be released. Here's the link;
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/gibson-launches-jeff-beck-les-paul-193677?cpn=RSS&source=MRNEWS
You'll notice this link also has some photos of Jeff and the Oxbloods by himself. And here's a link from this month's Gibson
newsletter about the Oxblood; http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/rare-jeff-beck-video-oxblood/
Eagle Rock has released the track listing for the March 31st release of the Blu Ray version of Jeff at Ronnie Scott's. Don't know if we've mentioned this yet or not but the Blu Ray disc has the Big Town Playboy's set which regular DVD doesn't. Here's the info from Eagle Rock, again thanks to our newshound R.E. Barnes...
Jeff Beck is a true rock legend. From his time with the Yardbirds in the sixties, through the Jeff Beck Group and throughout his solo career his unique guitar style and constant desire to explore new musical areas and sounds has won him the admiration of his peers and the adoration of legions of fans. In 2007 Jeff Beck performed a series of concerts at the renowned Ronnie Scotts club in London. They became the must have ticket of the year with a packed audience every night of the famous and the fans. This Blu-ray features pieces recorded across the different nights and presents the best version of each track. Jeff is also joined by guests Joss Stone, Imogen Heap and Eric Clapton for some very special performances. TRACK LISTING 1) Becks Bolero 2) Eternitys Breath 3) Stratus 4) Cause Weve Ended As Lovers 5) Behind The Veil 6) You Never Know 7) Nadia 8) Blast From The East 9) Led Boots 10) Angel (Footsteps) 11) People Get Ready - with JOSS STONE 12) Scatterbrain 13) Goodbye Pork Pie Hat / Brush With The Blues 14) Space Boogie 15) Blanket with IMOGEN HEAP 16) Big Block 17) A Day In The Life 18) Little Brown Bird with ERIC CLAPTON 19) You Need Love with ERIC CLAPTON 20) Rollin And Tumblin with IMOGEN HEAP 21) Where Were You Bonus Material: Jeff Beck Interview: rare in depth interview talking about Ronnie Scotts, his band, the setlist and his guest performers.Interviews with the band members: Tal Wilkenfeld (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Jason Rebello (keyboards). Blu-ray Exclusive Material: 7 Track rockabilly set with the Big Town Playboys exclusively available on the Blu-ray version: 1) Race With The Devil 2) Crazy Legs 3) Train Kept A Rollin 4) My Baby Left Me 5) Matchbox 6) Baby Blue 7) Honky Tonk. Jeff Beck on the rockabilly set + Big Town Playboys interviewIn Jeff Beck related news...we got a note from our friend Dickie Harrell which read;
Letting you know--Feb. 21st- BBC Radio will be airing a New Documentary on Gene Vincent. Family members-Tommy Facenda and my self will add a few things to this program. Check it out as it should be a good one. Thanks for keeping the music alive over the years. Keep cool. Roger Daltrey will be the host of this program. Please pass on this info to your friends.I think we just did.
And here thanks to our friend Toshi are the setlists....first night.
Feb 21 Saitama Super Arena, Saitama The first stage JEFF BECK (17:11 to 18:04) 1.The Pump 2.You Never Know 3.Cause We've Ended As Lovers 4.Stratus 5.Angel(Footsteps) 6.Led Boots 7.Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Brush With The Blues 8.Bass Solo(include Freeway Jam) 9.Blue Wind 10.A Day In The Life -encore- 11.Peter Gunn Theme The second stage ERIC CLAPTON (18:29 to 19:23) 1.Driftin' 2.Layla 3.Motherless Child 4.Running On Faith 5.Tell The Truth 6.Little Queen Of Spades 7.Before You Accuse Me 8.Cocaine 9.Crossroads The third stage ERIC CLAPTON with JEFF BECK (19:25 to 20:10) Eric Clapton(g,vo) Jeff Beck(g) Doyle Bramhall II(g,vo) Willie Weeks(b) Chris Stainton(key) Abe Laboriel Jr.(ds) Sharon White(vo) Michelle John(vo) 1.You Need Love 2.Listen Here/Compared To What 3.Here But I'm Gone 4.Outside Woman Blues 5.Brown Bird 6.Wee Wee Baby -encore- 7.I Want To Take You HigherSecond night....
Feb 22 Saitama Super Arena, Saitama The first set JEFF BECK (17:09 to 18:01) 1.The Pump 2.You Never Know 3.Cause We've Ended As Lovers 4.Stratus 5.Angel(Footsteps) 6.Led Boots 7.Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Brush With The Blues 8.Bass Solo(include Freeway Jam) 9.A Day In The Life 10.Big Block 11.Where Were You 12.Peter Gunn Theme The second set ERIC CLAPTON (18:28 to 19:21) 1.Driftin' 2.Layla 3.Motherless Child 4.Running On Faith 5.Tell The Truth 6.Key To The Highway 7.I Shot The Sheriff 8.Wonderful Tonight 9.Cocaine 10.Crossroads The third set ERIC CLAPTON with JEFF BECK (19:25 to 20:10) Eric Clapton(g,vo) Jeff Beck(g) Doyle Bramhall II(g,vo) Willie Weeks(b) Chris Stainton(key) Abe Laboriel Jr.(ds) Sharon White(vo) Michelle John(vo) 1.You Need Love 2.Listen Here/Compared To What 3.Here But I'm Gone 4.Outside Woman Blues 5.Little Brown Bird 6.Wee Wee Baby -encore- 7.I Want To Take You HigherThanks again to Toshi, he's the best.
Here now are the latest U.S. tour dates we have...
(BTW, Jason Rebello will be on keys for these dates.)
APRIL 4 Apr Public Hall Cleveland OH ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION 6 Apr Scranton PA Cultural Center 8 Apr Philadelphia PA The Electric Factory 9 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 10 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 11 Apr Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand at Foxwoods 13 Apr Boston MA House of Blues 15 Apr Cleveland OH House of Blues 16 Apr Chicago ILL Park West 17 Apr Chicago ILL Park West 18 Apr Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom 21 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre 22 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre 23 Apr Oakland CA Fox Theatre
Jeff plays on a track on the new Morrisey CD, "Years If Refusal" that came out last week. The song is called "Black Cloud".
Now an update on Jennifer Batten's co-headlining tour with Vicki Genfan...the ladies are adding more dates all the time,
go to; www.jenniferbatten.com for the latest ones. If you are in the South Florida area they will
be playing two shows that we and our friend Robert Mason helped put together. First on May 16, they will be at a show called "Women Who Shred" at City Limits in Delray Beach, FL.
Jeff is not officially credited on the CD but, his picture is in the liner notes which refer to a 'mystery guitar' on track 1
and a solo on track 2 that 'harkens back to the Yardbirds time'. Now the 2 or 3 business, this article; http://www.iorr.org/2005/carlo_little.htm,
says Jeff is on 2 tracks ('Mystery Train' and 'It's All Over Now'). This article; http://www.carlolittle.com/neverstop/neverstop.htm, says he's on 3. Back in 2005, we
printed an email from British bassist Rick Brown who mentioned the Carlo Little sessions and Jeff being there;
(BTW, go back to JBB #13 to read all of Rick's letter, it's hilarious!)
I last saw Jeff two or three years ago at the record sessions with the Carlo Little Allstars. I enjoyed his playing and he made a great contribution to the band. But he took all the master tapes home with him and deleted every note he'd played. I suspect the sessions hadn't come up to his expectations. They didn't come up to mine, either.We're guessing now that this was not the case or thankfully there were other tapes!
Jeff's 'This Week At Ronnie Scott's' DVD is due out momentarily and here's a nice review; http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/03/08/2301582.php.
As we await Jeff's dates here in the U.S., Rolling Stone just had a nice piece on the Japanese shows that Jeff did with Eric Clapton which featured in the headline, 'more dates likely', hmmm. Here's a .pdf of the piece.
Also as you know prior to Jeff's U.S. Tour, he'll be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 4th. Here's a link to a contest you can enter to be there as a VIP! http://www.mentalfloss.com/rock/. You must enter by March 16th and also take the Jeff Beck quiz while you're there.
And lastly...this is Bill here. Dick has a new waste of time that he seems to be enjoying immensely....Facebook. Well maybe not a total waste of time, I'll get to that in a second. Dick is always telling me, "Bill, I have a new facebook friend! Remember so and so from high school?" I'll say, "That's great Dick." He'll say, "You've got to join, so and so said they'd love to hear from you!" At which time I reply, "Ahhhh, I don't think so." The only thing Dick has come up with so far to make me think it's not a total waste of time is his Facebook 'friendship' with non other than Will Lee, bassist extrodinaire from the David Letterman show. Turns out Will is a big Jeff Beck fan too and here's some of what he said to Dick;
"There is no cat like Jeff when it comes to musicality, soul and TONE than the great Jeff Beck. Few have done what he does with a Strat, a cable and an amp (no pick!). My first experience wth Jeff was in the early 70's on the Tom Dowd- produced album, Narada Michael Walden's Garden of Love Light, where he blew us all away with his guitar tracks!"Dick has a lot more 'blog' quotes from Will that he will put together for an article in JBB #16 soon. Until then...
Jeff's 'Live At Ronnie Scott's' DVD and Blu-Ray is now out and getting great reviews. We hear it was at #2 in it's first week of release. As fellow Jeff Beck fans we would like to ask a favor of you all. If you have a few extra seconds and you're in a Best Buy or any other music shop, see if you could suggest to whoever's in charge that they display Jeff's new DVD or Blu-Ray prominently in the new releases area in front. Sometimes Jeff's stuff get's filed away but if we inform those in charge of Jeff's legend status and that this is his first official DVD release and that alot of folks would be interested, it would help spread the word so to speak. Thanks in advance.
More tour dates have been announced...this time in Europe. Of special note is Jeff's returning to the stage at the Montreaux Jazz Festival because their website always has great pics and even video. Here's a recap of the tour dates from here on out that we have.. thanks again to Doc.
APRIL UNITED STATES 4 Apr Public Hall Cleveland OH ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION 6 Apr Scranton PA Cultural Center 8 Apr Philadelphia PA The Electric Factory 9 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 10 Apr NYC, NY Fillmore NY Irving Plaza 11 Apr Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand at Foxwoods 13 Apr Boston MA House of Blues 15 Apr Cleveland OH House of Blues 16 Apr Chicago ILL Park West 17 Apr Chicago ILL Park West 18 Apr Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom 21 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre 22 Apr Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre 23 Apr Oakland CA Fox Theatre JUNE GREAT BRITAIN w/ opening act Imelda May 24 Jun Brighton England Dome 25 Jun Birmingham England Symphony Hall 27 Jun Manchester England Apollo 28 Jun Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 30 Jun Belfast Ireland Ulster Hall JULY 1 Jul Dublin Ireland Vicker Street 3 Jul Southhampton Isles Guild Hall 4 Jul London Royal Albert Hall NORTH AMERICA (CANADA) 6 Jul Montreal Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier - PdA 8 Jul Ottawa, Canada Ottawa Blues Festival 9 Jul Quebec, Canada Quebec Festival DfEte EUROPE 12 Jul Weert, Holland Bospop Festival, Sportpark Boshoven 13 Jul Sete, France Festival Jazz a Sete @ Theatre de la Mer 15 Jul Antibes, France Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival 17 Jul Montreux, Switzerland Montreux Festival 19 Jul Limburg, Belgium Peer Festival 22 Jul Barcelona, Spain Pueblo Espanol 24 Jul Madrid, Spain Festival Veranos De La Villa, Casa De Campo 25 Jul Cazorla, Spain Blues Festival 27 Jul Alicante, Spain Festival de Musicas del Mundo Jeff Beck -guitars; Vinnie Colaiuta -drums; Tal Wilkenfeld -bass; Jason Rebello -keyboards
We got a copy of Carlo Little's 'Never Stop Rockin' sent to us from his wife which was very nice, thank you. And we can now tell you with pretty much certainty that Jeff is only on two tracks...'It's All Over Now' and 'Mystery Train'. 'Mystery Train' by the way features the late Long John Baldry on vocals. I (me, Bill) met LJ in London back in the mid 70's and once in Boston in the late 70's and can tell he was a very nice guy. That early solo album of his that came out in the early 70's 'It Ain't Easy' is one of my favorites to this day. One side was produced by Elton John, the other by Rod Stewart and it's just killer stuff.
Congratulations have to go out now....first to Robert Knight whose rockumentary 'Rock Prophecies' was screened in Dallas last weekend....4 showings all sold out, all recieved standing ovations!! Wow.
Also congrats go out to Jennifer Batten! Guitar Players best female guitarist of the year!! Another wow.
Finally though, we're sad to announce that the show Jennifer and Vicki Genfan were supposed play on May 16th at City Limits in Delray Beach, Florida has been cancelled due to the club going out of business. They are however still going to be at the Chocolate Moose in Davie, Florida on May 17th for a clinic and show. Tickets for both events are $70 and now onsale. Go to; www.chocolatemoosecafe.com for info.
We all watched the 5 plus hours of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame show on the Fuse network April 4th and here are some observations.
The pre-show, history of the inductees thing, for Jeff Beck fans, useless. If his bit ran a minute-thirty I'd be surprised. Meanwhile
Run DMC got about 45 minutes. Waiting for Jeff's induction (which took forever), the funniest moment had to be Ronnies Wood's
introduction of Bobby Womack. Incoherent but funny. Did Ronnie really have to mention that jail thing? Anyway for future reference,
maybe it is a good idea to make a few notes for yourself or just write out your whole bit like Flea. Jimmy's introduction of Jeff
was touching and right on. Jeff has never stopped getting better, he never ceases to amaze, period. Jeff's acceptance remarks were
short and naughty. He thanked Ernest Chapman his old manager, Harvey Goldsmith his new manager, and his wife Sandra. And to his
friends in attendance those who've helped him out over the years, thank you. And to those who didn't well....
Jeff's performance was great. Started out with 'Beck's Bolero' which morphed into Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' when Jimmy Page
appeared onstage with a 12 string Fender DuoSonic guitar. Finished off the set with 'Peter Gunn', very cool. Our friend Dean Opper was
at the show and took this picture of Jeff on the red carpet.
He said the show was great but that Metallica who were the next act up to be inducted and perform were 'stupid loud'. It was just ridiculously loud and even rude when you consider that in the audience you had Anthony and The Imperials and their families and Wanda Jackson and her family, these people are in their late 70's maybe 80's. Being considerate to your audience even if they're not the crowd you usually play to is one of the first rules of show business.
One of the all-star jams followed, what I mean by 'one of' in a minute. With Metallica still set up, Jeff came out with Jimmy, Ronnie Wood and Joe Perry to do 'Train Kept A Rollin''. Everyone from I remember took a solo except Jimmy, when he got the nod he just smiled and didn't solo. As usual www.gettyimages.com has a million pictures of Jeff at the show, go there and search "jeff beck". In there you will notice some stage shots of what was obviously a different 'all-star jam' because it's with Jeff, Spooner Oldham, Will Lee, D.J. Fontana, Bobby Womack, Ronnie Wood, Rosanne Cash, Wanda Jackson and Little Anthony and The Imperial. Hope we're not showing our age by saying we'd have much rather seen that jam on TV than the Metallica thing.
Right around the time of Jeff's induction, Jeff's official site www.jeffbeck.com got a makeover. Wow, that's an idea...a makeover, we should try that! Anyway, the graphics, very cool but the two most important things; Jeff is now blogging and ainian.com is the only 'official' link on the page other than Harvey Goldsmith's site, www.harveygoldsmith.com, alright. Jeff's blog is short but a fun read as well as the fan comments where you can tell how much Jeff is loved.
Now on to the tour which from what we hear and see is getting rave reviews everywhere. Bill got to see the show at the new House Of Blues in Boston (BTW thanks for the tickets Harvey). His report as well as others from fans and the media will be in JBB #16 as soon as they're compiled. A few quick observations though since we are 'gearheads' here. This happened a while ago but Jeff seems to have replaced his Marshall DSL heads with the new Marshall 'handwired' series. Looked like 1959's to me (Bill). Also on his stage line was a Channing amp. We went to their site (www.channingamps.com) and emailed a question about their amps and Jeff and it took 'Jessica B.' less than an hour to answer. She said yes, Jeff has two of their amps that she knows of, a CL30 and a CL45 and that their management team is working on how to release the 'official' story of how Jeff came to use their amps. Cool.
Lastly from one of our field reporters, R.E. Barnes...the June issue of Guitar World magazine will feature an extensive 'career spanning' interview with Jeff. In the article it notes that the new music Jeff's been working on that we've alluded to before is 3 players. Jeff, Tal and Vinnie, Jason wasn't available for the sessions. So far 17 hours on a hard drive's worth!
Here's an update on Jennifer Batten's upcoming shows....a few have already happened but I included them anyway so you can see
where she's been.
One last quick note...as always Ross Halfin has some killer photos of the Hall Of Fame and LA shows go to;
http://www.rosshalfin.com/home/intro.php and check them out.
Also this is great! Dr. Dot strikes again! Check out her blog and pictures backstage at the JB show in NYC!
Jeff performed at a charity gig on Friday June 5th. The event was held at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club, Monte-Carlo
and benefitted Prince Albert II's 'Monaco Aide and Presence' charity. Jeff performed with old friend John McLaughlin and Imelda
May. The gala dinner also included an Alberta Ferretti fashion show and charity auction. For pics go to;
'Performing This Week At Ronnie Scott's' DVD was certified gold on May 19th...over 50K sold, wow. It also rebounded to #2
on the Billboard Charts 8 weeks after it's release....btw #1 is the Clapton/Winwood at MSG DVD.
Some Jeff Beck material will be featured in the next edition of the 'Guitar Hero' video game (Guitar Hero V)....don't know
what song or songs yet. (Now I'll have to buy it for my 15 year old son, although lately he prefers Rock Band!, Hah! BA).
Adding to Jeff's feature in May's Guitar World magazine, Jeff also appears in the June edition of MOJO and the May edition of
Classic Rock Magazine that also features some very cool pics by Ross Halfin.
Lastly here's a little video clip of Jeff congratulating Buddy Guy on the 20th anniversary of Buddy's Legends Club in Chicago;
When Jeff played the Royal Albert Hall July 4th he had a special guest in the person of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. They
played Hubert Parry's 'Jerusalem' which is an annual feature of the last night of the 'Proms' series of classical concerts
at the RAH. At that time the audience usually sings along to lyrics which are a poem by William Blake. Jeff added this
number to his set during the Canadian dates. There are also some YouTube clips of this number on their site. Jeff had
Imelda May opening for him as well as some other UK date. She's sort an Irish/female version of the Big Town Playboys.
Check out; www.imeldamay.com.
Lastly, Ross Halfin has a great website/blog. Check out the July 12th entry;
We'll be putting together a total press/fan review wrapup of the UK/Canadian/European tour as soon it's over (and we
can get Dick off the beach).
So, let's start with the newest stuff and work our way backwards. We heard a while back Jeff would be doing some more stuff with Eric Clapton, now we have something concrete. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton have announced that they will be doing a concert at London's O2 arena, February 13, 2010, a second show for February 14th has been added
since the 13th sold out! Does this date indicate there will be other shows before or after? Hmm. Presale ticket info is available at; www.jeffbeck.com.
Jeff is in the Grammy running again. Two of his efforts from the past year are being considered for nomination. "A Day In The Life" from "Performing Live This Week At Ronnie Scott's" for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" and the "Performing Live This Week At Ronnie Scott's" DVD/BluRay for "Best Long Form Music Video". Nominations will be announced January 31, 2010.
As we mentioned on the marquee, Jeff will be guesting on two upcoming releases. Joss Stone's newest, "Colour Me Free" will feature Jeff on the track "Parallel Lines". That is due out in October. Jeff will also be on violinist Diana Yukawa's next CD, we're waiting for more details on that one.
Back to Joss Stone, here's a little bit from Entertainment Weekly;'
Jeff played the O2 in London on September 21st. From what we've seen on YouTube, and there's a bunch, it was a very interesting show. Jeff played the stuff he grew up on, American rock n' roll and popular music. Imelda May's band did a great job backing him up, very reminiscent of the Big Town Playboys.
Prior to the show Jeff and Jason held a 'master class', sort of a repeat of what Jeff did in Birmingham a couple of months ago, here's a report that was sent to us.
Here's a review of the actual show. Also check out http://www.rosshalfin.com/diary/september-2009/diary-september-2009.php for Ross Halfin's blog entry.
Jeff also appeared at a charity concert in Italy on August 19th. He appeared with Zucchero at the Viareggio Stadium to benefit victims of a gas explosion that occured at
a train station in that city in late June. Jeff played on "Nessun Dorma" and perhaps on another song titled "Dune Mosse". We have quite sorted this out from watching
the videos on YouTube.
Our friend Joe Bonamassa, aka 'the new King Of The Blues' has a new album.
He's also out on tour (as always), we're catching him at the Gusman Cultural Center in Miami on November 7th!
Some late adds here, thanks to 'Doc'....we knew we'd forget something, that's for getting our back. Jeff Beck appears on
Herbie Hancock's forthcoming album, IMAGINE
And also Jeff Beck performing in New York City at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concert on Friday,
October 30th on the bill with Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, U2, Metallica, Jerry Lee Lewis and Van Morrison.
Lastly, Bill's son rented Guitar Hero 5 a couple of weeks ago. Tried to play both the drums and guitar to 'Scatterbrain'.
It's hard. He predicts you will shortly see 12 year olds performing it on YouTube. Also did you know there's a fan site
witht the URL www.jeffbeck.co.uk? We didn't until we saw they were one of the 'external links' on Jeff's entry at wikipedia.com.
WTF! How come we aren't listed!
ALSO! This just in! An acetate of the Tridents with Jeff Beck has been unearthed in the UK. An acetate
is like a test pressing for a vinyl record. Here's the article;
Jeff's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction show last spring is now available on DVD at;
I (Dick) had a rare chance the other day to speak with Eagle Rock Records Senior Project Manager Mike Carden who was
very involved with the marketing of the Ronnie Scott's CD and DVD. The introduction to Mike was made through our NYC
friend Arnie Goodman whose label put out the John Lee hooker tribute CD a few years back that featured Jeff on two
tracks.
Mike was super nice and basically raved about first hearing the tapes of the live 2007 shows from the famous London club.
Mike told us that every single person involved with Eagle Rock Records on the 29th floor of their New York offices
absolutely was floored at hearing the performances and the quality sounds from Jeff's playing. On the tour following
Jeff's Rock Hall of Fame induction last spring Mike took a few budding guitarists to some of the shows and said that
to a one they all were revved up the day after the shows for going back and playing their instruments having been
inspired by seeing Jeff play. Mike said his biggest thrill was to be able to go to London to present Jeff and the
band with the award for sales on the DVD which became the number one music DVD seller. We all as fans appreciate the
hard work and dedication Mike Carden has shown for this project and wish him much success in the future."
Here's a link for more info on Jeff and Eric's O2 gigs;
Lastly, this one's a little iffy cause these things tend to be, a blurb on the net has stated that Jeff is
slated to play at 'BluesFest 2010' at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm outside Byron Bay, Australia, a festival that
runs from April 1st thru the 5th. Joe Bonamassa is also listed, we'll see.
Some 2010 Tours have been annouced...here they are; (thanks Doc)
According to Harvey Goldsmith, Jeff's new album will be released in March. A recent new blurb said,
"Jeff Beck, currently on the sidelines with an injury from an accident, which has not been specified
by Harvey Goldsmith, will be finishing his new album in the next 10 days, with a release date set in
March. Goldsmith raves about the tracks."
Speaking of Harvey, music industry analyst Bob Lefsetz gives Harvey props for Jeff's
recent successes. Bob's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25th Anniversay Concert observations from the 'Lefsetz Letter';
Speaking of the Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame show, it premiered on HBO last Friday and is still playing
periodically....if you don't want to sit through the whole thing, Jeff is towards the end of the show.
We also got this letter from David Ingram...maybe this would make a nice holiday gift?
Happy Holidays Everybody!May 7, 2009
Brief update here. First, check out JBB#16 for some new stuff...press/fan reviews and Dick's piece on the Carlo Little CD.
Jennifer's solo multimedia shows:
April 29 The Reef -105 South 6th St, Boise Idaho 8pm (208)287-9200
May 3 Falls City Nebraska Private House Concert
May 4 Fazio's Frets & Friends 15440 Manchester Rd. Ellisville, MO 63011 636-227-3573 7pm
May 7 Broadway Joe's, Buffalo NY
+ Schmeidler/ O'Connell Syndrome
______________
East Coast USA Tour with Vickie Genfan!
May 09 Center for the Arts Natick
May 14 Summer Street Natick, MA 01760 508-647-0097 8PM
May 10 Minotti Music Cabana Cafe 473 Washington Ave North Haven CT
May 12 Wholesale Guitars 10922 Hull St Rd, Midlothian Va. 23112 804 745 3434
May 13 Amazingtone Music 6514 Old Wake Forest Rd 105
Raleigh NC 27616 (919)637-0526
May 16 Private House Concert Miami
May 17 Chocolate Moose Cafe 9118 State Road 84; Davie, /FL/
954-474-5040 Daytime Workshop + nightime show
May 18 TIB Ampitheatre Islamorada FL (Key West)
in Founders Park, mile marker 87 bayside in Islamorada,
_*Jennifer is back to solo shows starting May 19th *_
May 19 Naples FL (private invite clinic) Naples Park Music
May 22/23 Pensacola FL show + clinic TBA
May 27 LCN-TV Houma Louisiana interview
May 28 *Magnolia Plantation*
"Private, Invitation Only Performance" 818 Elmwood Park Blvd. Harahan, LA 8pm - 9:30pm
Contact Matt: zermattinfo@bellsouth.net
May 29 Premium's Galliano Louisiana* *"Rock Club Performance"
LA Hwy 1 Larose, LA SHOW: 11:30p
May 30 The Brick House (985) 879-2453. Address: 7934 /Main St/, Houma, /LA/ 70360
**
June 4 Baton Rouge TBA June 5 Star Spangled Banner performance for New Orleans Zephers
7 PM televised June 6 Rock N Bowl 4133 South Carrollton Avenue New Orleans, LA504 482 3133
June 8 Austin
June 9 Austin clinic
Fri June 13 Guitar Academy Fort Collins CO (970)223-2466
In JBB#16 under 'fan' reviews we posted a link to Bob Lefsetz blog where he described his experience
seeing Jeff's show in LA. Some folks wrote in their comments to this blog entry but Bob doesn't post
them, instead he emails them around to folks who subscribe to his blog (thanks Eric Mirell!). This is
pretty good, even includes a comment from our friend Robert Knight.
Subject: Jeff Beck
Jeff has been an icon since 1965. When I was around Jimi Hendrix in 1968, Jeff was all Hendrix talked
to me about. Several years ago at Jeff Beck's wedding Paul McCarntey walked up to me and said I hear
you worked with Jimi Hendrix. Paul said to me, Jeff Beck was Jimi Hendrix before Jimi Hendrix thought
of being Jimi Hendrix, he knew as Jeff and the Yardbirds opened on the first Beatles Tour.
Robert M Knight
__________________________________
From: Harvey Leeds
Subject: Beck
I convinced Jeff's previous manager to record a Beck album at BB King's in NYC avail only in Japan and online
for a limited time. Incredible-check it out. I have a zillion Beck stories-as the saying goes the 2 longest
artists on Epic were Jeff Beck (40 years) and Harvey Leeds (35 years).
__________________________________
From: Hugo Burnham
Subject: Re: More Jeff Beck
As teenagers, we used to drink at the same pub down in Kent with Jeff Beck. Right next to the farm we used
to pick hops at every summer...the name escapes me (lots of strong cider back then). It was hard not being
star-struck idiots. We went back to Beck's place for a party after closing time one week-end - somebody
stole the car-keys to his Model T (...not me, but I know who) and he was out for blood for a while.
HB
__________________________________
From: CJ Vanston
Subject: my Jeff Beck story(s)....wow...1981, 1992, 2004, 2007....
In 1981, my band, the Chicago-based "Trillion," opened for Jeff Beck in Carbondale, Ill. At that point
this was the highlight of my career. I remember the feeling as he watched our band from the side of the
stage and even gave a thumbs up and a smile. We finished our set and went out to sit with the FOH mixer.
Beck's set was of course awesome, but I had to take a leak. Simon Phillips broke into a drum solo, and
I took off for backstage. When I showed my laminate and stepped behind the giant speakers (this was before
everyone flew their arrays), I looked up, and ten feet above me was Mr. Beck, having a smoke in a private
moment behind the speakers.
It was very dark back there, and all of the sudden, like a dream, he took a false step and FELL off the
edge of the stage, almost to my feet. I couldn't believe what I had seen. I ran up to him, hysterically
mumbling something like "Mr. Beck sir...are you ok...Mr. Beck..." He rolled over on his back and said "I
ripped my f**king pants...I ripped my f**king pants." They were ripped from the crotch to the knee. But
unbelievably, he seemed ok.
With nobody around, I picked him up and put his arm around my shoulder and instantly realized that he was
almost exactly my size. So I told him I had some pants and could he make it to the dressing room. He said
yes, fine get me there NOW!
I came around the corner backstage and the roadies had no idea what was happening. It must have looked like
I was kidnapping Jeff. They rushed me but he kept saying "it's ok...it's ok...somebody tell Simon to stretch
the drum solo."
We got to my dressing room and I went into the wardrobe case to get him a pair of pants. Jeff had torn off
his black silk pants and was standing in his underwear. I handed him the first pair I found and I heard "I
ain't wearing no fucking purple pants!" Hilarious. I kept digging and remembered I had a pair of BLACK SILK
PANTS. Gave them to Jeff and they fit like a glove. Still surreal.
The roadies then dragged him away to the stage. I heard a huge finishing drum fill, then a huge guitar note
and the band kicked in to "Led Boots." That's when it hit me...Jeff Beck is playing in my F**KING PANTS.
I rushed back to the FOH, where my band was still sitting, unaware.
The first thing our drummer, Bill Wilkins said was "WHERE THE F**K DID YOU GO, YOU MISSED THE MOST INCREDIBLE
DRUM SOLO!!!"
I said "guys, you're not going to believe this..................."
After the show, Jeff threw a party for me for saving the day. What a special moment. Anyway....
he story continues....
Fast forward to 1992, and the Freddy Mercury Tribute at Wembley Arena in London. I was playing with Spinal Tap.
After our set, we went to the "Queen's Bar" to have a Guinness, and over in the corner is Jeff Beck. So I walked
up and posed in front of him silently. He gave me a "whadday you want, mate?" look....I turned my head to
different angles like a police lineup photo and he kept saying "WOT?!" All of the sudden he smiled and said
"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE THE F**KER WHO PICKED ME OFF THE FLOOR! I WAS TELLING EVERYONE YOU WERE SIX FOOT F**KING
NINE!" (evidently I was so full of adrenaline that I picked him up like a rag doll).
So Jeff and I hung the rest of the night, watching the bands from a private box and laughing our asses off.
The rest of Tap ended up hanging also, Christopher knew Jeff from years back also.
so now, fast forward to 2004. I am producing "Heart & Soul" for Joe Cocker. We had already gotten Clapton,
Lukather and Skunk Baxter to play on the record and I brought up Jeff Beck. Somebody at the label had an in
to his management and we put together an email request. At the end, I put "the producer is the guy who picked
you up off the f**king floor."
Jeff graciously played on the album, on "I Who Have Nothing." It was all done by email, never saw him.
almost done....
next Tap returned to Wembley in 2007, to play "Live Earth" (we did "Big Bottom" with 19 bass players, it's on
YouTube). At any rate, we rehearsed at some facility outside of town. We pulled up, and I walked in to what
I thought was our rehearsal room, and there was Jeff, three feet in front of me. We looked at each other,
stunned...and he said "oh my god, it's CJ, the guy who picked me up off the f**king floor!!" We had a great
laugh, and as the other guys in the band walked in, Jeff played us a private little set that was simply
amazing. Vinnie was playing drums, and we go way back, having done tons of sessions together.
Jeff told me he was going to play in Chicago, my hometown, for the Crossroads festival. I told him I might be
there, and he invited me to attend. I did, and as I stood out there watching him completely tear that arena
up, I thought. what a crazy f**king business, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Thought I'd share after watching your tweets come in last night...keep up the great work.
CJ Vanston
P.S. just finished producing Tap's new album "Back From the Dead," with guests John Mayer, Steve Vai, Phil
Collen of Def Leppard and Keith Emerson.....out June 15th....what a riot. What a business!
http://drdot.blog-city.com/jeff_beck_shows_in_nyc.htm
June 11, 2009
Few quick things....UK Tour starts shortly, things should pick up a little then. Check out JBB#16 for Dick and Bill's take
on Jennifer Batten's Multimedia tour, some good stuff.
www.johnmclaughlin.com/news/
http://www.buddyguys.com/
July 21, 2009
Time flies! The UK and Canadian Mini-Tour are over, the European is in progress and there's alot to report.
Some really cool stuff has popped up on YouTube the past couple of weeks....first off Jeff giving a 'guitar clinic'
to a bunch of teenage guitar students in Brighton, UK;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DymvmWFqeYc
The tag says it's at 'BIMM', don't know what that is....Brighton Institute for?? Jeff just rips as the teens back him up
on 'Blues Deluxe'.
Next up a bunch of stuff from Canada...a news conference at the Montreal Jazz Fest;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs3myo3oJo0
During the presser Jeff mentions that more recording for his next CD will commence in late August/September. We've also
learned that a live version of 'Scatterbrain' will be the Jeff Beck cut featured on the new Guitar Hero V video game out
this fall. When asked what he thought about it he more or less said, 'We'll have to wait for the check to come in.'.
This is cool a couple in Ottawa decided to use Jeff's show there as the backdrop for their wedding, here's the article;
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/guitar+hero+plus+soulmate+equals+perfect+Bluesfest+wedding/1768812/story.html
They also popped on YouTube!;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3s0gQ4EO7E
http://www.rosshalfin.com/diary/july-2009/diary-july-2009.php Very cool.
October 1, 2009
We know it's been a while we're sorry. Dick has moved to his groovy new beach pad, threw away his old desktop computer in the move, that kind of slowed things down.
Bill has been on multiple vacations (hah!) and recently moved his daughter to Tallahassee for college ($$). So here's our attempt to catch up, I'm sure we're going to forget something. We know too we have to add to JBB #16 the European tour roundup but we have added Dick's report on the NYC screening of 'Rock Prophesies" so check that out.
EW: You also worked with guitar legend Jeff Beck on Parallel Lines.
JS: I did, yeah. Oh, hes a luv. I went over to his house. Its gorgeous, oh my god. A big country house.
We just went up to his top room and jammed. He was great.
EW: I always think hes got pretty much the best hair in rock.
JS: Yeah, he totally does.
From the Masters Class on Sept. 21, 2009Sep 23, '09 6:11 PM
by Geoffrey for group jeffbeck624
Its 3pm on Monday September 21st and Licklibrarys Kim Waller is one of a small invited group is waiting
patiently for a true guitar legend to appear. As part of a recent hook-up between American Express and Harvey
Goldsmith, Jeff Beck has agreed to do an hour long masterclass before the evenings gig at the Indigo2 with the
Imelda May band.
Jeff walks in closely followed by his keyboard player Jason Robello and begins a relaxed and informal question and
answer session, punctuated with guitar playing. Jeff talked about his early influences; Les Paul, Elvis, Gene Vincent
to name a few, Jason on the other hand cited the theme from Match of the Day as his earliest influence.
When asked if he remembered the transition from unknown musician to his early celebrity status, he said he remembered
going from being a paint sprayer and fitter to professional guitarist and feeling guilty at first about not having
to get up for work every day!
Jeff told the story behind the classic Cause Weve Ended As Lovers from the Blow by Blow album; he had been working
with Stevie Wonder and recorded some guitars for his album Talking Book and Stevie wrote three songs for Jeff (one
of which never made it to the album). Stevie wrote Cause Weve Ended for his wife at the time, Syreeta.
The small audience fell silent as Jeff played the first notes from Cause Weve Ended As Lovers and Jason joined
in on keyboards to treat us to a two minute version of the track.
Jeff was clearly enjoying playing! After describing how a Gregorian chant that he had been given to help him sleep
inspired Where Were You he launched into the track. The treat continued with excerpts from Apache, Hound Dog
and Becks Bolero, finally rounding off the masterclass with Superstition
The gig was superb! Jeff and Jason were playing with the excellent rock'n'roll styled Imedla May Band; the set contained
only a handful of songs written after 1965. They included The Shadows' Apache, Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk, Rock Around
The Clock, Shake Rattle and Roll, The Girl Can't Help It, Cry Me A River, Corpus Christie Carol, Lilac Wine and a
stunning version of Remember (Walking In The Sand). Jeffs solo pieces included Brush With The Blues and Somewhere
Over The Rainbow
Jimmy Page and Ronnie Wood were sat immediately behind me; Jeff invited them onstage to join him, but they didn't take
him up on his offer well. That would be a difficult set of boots to fill whoever you were wouldnt it! Jeff Beck
continues to be a man at the top of his game, with a mastery of diverse styles and a unique tone that distinguishes
him from anyone else Lets hope there will be another tour announced soon!
To add to this we also read a report stated about 60 people attended the event and was moderated by a member of BME who interviewed Jeff then opened it up for questions. We also understand the event was taped (a camera was there) and some of it might pop up on BME's website in the future.
Jeff Beck & The Imelda May Band
Indigo 2, London
Monday, September 21
"He's using a different guitar with each bloody song!" exclaims an impeccably attired and surprisingly sober Ronnie Wood.
Sat next to him, almost on the edge of his seat, Jimmy Page is staring ahead at the stage absorbing the sights and sounds
with a forensic intensity. Honest Ron suddenly gets up and yelps in appreciation, breaking Page's concentration as his
face collapses into a warm infectious grin. "Marvellous", he exclaims like a proud headmaster, beaming at his charge.
Both of these legends have been drawn out of hibernation by the lure of fellow guitar slinger Jeff Beck's one-off
performance with the Imelda May band in a special show arranged by American Express. Earlier that day a usually taciturn
Beck held a master class comprising a short tutorial and lots of entertaining anecdotes about his adventures with the
Yardbirds.
"The show tonight will be like hearing Jeff's personal record collection," announced manager/promoter Harvey Goldsmith
referring to the choice of vintage material.
Looking a little nervous, without his usual pyrotechnics and camouflage, Beck took a while to warm up and really hit his
stride about four numbers in with Train Kept A Rollin' featuring a simple, swamp-dirty solo which was the total antithesis
to his normally baroque fret workouts. This was swiftly followed by Howlin' Wolf's Poor Boy - a nod to Chess Records,
Beck explained - and Arthur Crudup's My Baby Left Me.
"Back in the old days when the singer got knackered we had to fill in with an instrumental," announced a by-now jocular
Beck who seemed really moved by the audience's ecstatic response. "This is the tune that made us all go out and steal
a Fender Stratocaster... Unfortunately, I didn't get away with it." Cue a robust take on The Shadows' Apache followed
by Santo & Johnny's Sleepwalk.
Candy Box Burlesque Club veteran Imelda May displayed her torch singer credentials with spine-tingling renditions of
Remember (Walking In The Sand); Cry Me A River, Lilac Wine, and Please Mr Jailer. It's easy to see how Beck was inspired
to perform this material by May and her band, who have serious rock'n'roll credentials (Page could be seen backstage
immersed in conversation with May's husband/guitarist Darrel Higham about their shared passion for vintage vinyl).
As the show came to a close Beck could be seen to visibly relax during a loose rendition of Green Onions, a stirring
tribute to Les Paul on How High The Moon - featuring some gorgeous multi-tracked vocals from Imelda, doing her best
Mary Ford impersonation, and an uproarious version of Shake, Rattle and Roll.
As Jimmy Page commented afterwards: "It was just like listening to your favourite jukebox."
Peter Makowski
Set List: Feel Me/Love Tattoo/Baby Let's Play House/Double Talking Baby/Cruisin'/Train Kept A-Rollin'/Poor Boy/
My Baby Left Me/Rockin' Is Our Business/Apache/Sleepwalk/Peter Gunn/Remember (Walking In The Sand)/Please Mr Jailer/
Corpus Christi Carol/Lilac Wine/Green Onions/Casting My Spell/The Girl Can't Help It/Brush With The Blues/Rock Around
The Clock/Cry Me A River/How High The Moon/Shake Rattle And Roll/Somewhere Over The Rainbow
What we liked from watching the YouTube stuff was Jeff used several other guitars besides his Strat. We couldn't
really see the backline that well but it appeared too that he was using tweed Fenders, not sure if they were reissue
Twins or the Deluxes he had at Crossroads. A quick listing....on Double Talking Baby - Gretsch Duo-Jet, Train Kept - Tele,
Apache - Strat, Peter Gunn - Strat, Corpus Christi - Strat, Lilac Wine - Strat, Green Onions - Tele, Rock Around The
Clock - Oxblood Les Paul!!, Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Strat.
Billboard: Jeff Beck also appears on the album. You recorded a song with him in London.
Hancock: He and two of the members of his current touring band -- (drummer) Vinnie Colaiuta,
who has also been working with me, and Tal Wilkenfeld, a bass player from Australia -- she's
great, she's 22 or 23 and she can play. Anyway, Jeff is really good. I knew he was good, but
when I got a chance to actually work with him? He's really good. Just playing a melody, every
note has its own personality, and it's not as though everything is predetermined -- it's all
in the moment.
The album is slated for an early 2010 release
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Discovered - The Tridents featuring Jeff Beck acetate
The Tridents were a Yardbirds-esque British R&B group that Jeff left when he joined the real Yardbirds on
Tuesday, March 2nd 1965. This recording dates from late 1963 or Early 1964 [at best guess] & features a
nineteen year old Jeff & his Telecaster with Ray Cook on Drums, Paul Lucas on Bass & Vocals and brother
John Lucas on Rhythm Guitar & Vocals.
It appears that four demo tracks were recorded by the band. Two at Regent Sound & two at Oriole Studios in
London - 'Wanderin' Man Blues', 'Trouble In Mind', 'Keep Your Hands Off My Woman' & a Tridents self-penned
original 'That Noise!'
Of these tracks, very scratchy & noise reduced to hell & back versions of 'Trouble In Mind' & 'Wanderin' Man
Blues' were finally released on the 'Beckology' compilation, having been taken from seriously scratchy acetates.
Originally the plan was for 'Keep Your Hands Off My Woman' & 'That Noise!' to be A sides & 'Wanderin' Man Blues'
& 'Trouble In Mind' the B sides.
This acetate pairs 'That Noise!' & 'Wanderin' Man Blues', so this is from Oriole Studios, meaning that the other
two tracks were the ones recorded at Regent Sound.
The only markings on this disc are the track titles & The Tridents, hand written in Chinagraph pencil at the
centre. When we discovered it, the A side title was quite worn, but the B side was when my heart jumped into my
mouth as I realised just what this might be. It had to be played.
We played it. B Side first as it was the title I recognised. It was exactly what I'd hoped it was - The Tridents
with Jeff Beck!
Clear, crisp, full range sonic beauty making the 'Beckology' version sound like it was recorded through a pile
of old socks. By the looks of things, this can have been played no more than a handful of times.
The A Side was unknown to me at the time, but turned out to be a chugging R&B number very reminiscent
of early Yardbirds. It had obviously been played a little more than the B Side, but even so it was still very
clear & crisp.
At that point, I knew we'd stumbled upon something a little bit special.
So, here we have [in amazing condition for a delicate acetate], two Tridents tracks from 1963. One previously
unreleased & one released in a C- audio quality where both of these tracks are A/A+. Hellfire, there are CYMBALS
on these versions!
Over forty five years old & stored safely away for most of that time until our intrepid archaeologists re-discovered
this ancient artifact, possibly unplayed since 1964 [until we played it to see what it was].
Given that the Beckology version was supposedly the best available to CBS/Epic, we can only conclude that no more
than two copies of this acetate exist [as far as we are aware]. This is only the second acetate to surface & it is
free from any notable marks or scratches, unlike the one owned by Paul Lucas that was loaned to CBS/Epic for the
Beckology release. There are some light cosmetic scuffs to some areas of the disc, but because of the fragile nature
of acetates this is inevitable & will be caused simply by removing the disc from its paper sleeve. These have no
effect sonically, as we can attest to, having played both sides through.
The chances of Paul Lucas releasing his personal acetates are slim to nil, so this acetate becomes effectively a
one-off.
In this amazing condition, it IS the best available recording of The Tridents available in the world.
Over the years, seeing many 'rare' & 'impossible to find' items turn up again & again here, you can get quite
blas about things. It takes something like this to remind yourself just why you do this for a living. It's the
musical equivalent of finding an undiscovered Egyptian Tomb - And it takes your breath away.
Another late add here....Seems now that Joss, Herbie and Diane have gotten some from Jeff, his former hired sideman,
singer Rod Stewart wants some as well. Stewart has made a sojourn or two to Jeff's countryside manse to secure his
services for a collaboration in the studio. It is not known whether the track(s) have been laid or not. Stay tuned...
November 4, 2009
Jeff was a big hit at the Rock And Roll Hame Of Fame 25th Anniversary shows Oct. 29 and 30 at MSG in NYC. Jeff was originally slated to
just do a tune with Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy but then Eric fell ill (gallstone surgery..ouch!) and Jeff was enlisted to fill
Eric's entire slot. On Thursday night Jeff's only appearance was when he came out during Stevie Wonder's set for
'Superstition'...according to Rolling Stone -;
"...Stevie Wonder... If that wasnt enough, Jeff Beck arrives for Superstition and breaks into an
otherworldly solo on the break, flinging his bare right hand at the strings and tapping away.
Prepare yourself: Jeff Beck is doing something frickin' magical on his guitar to "Superstition."
You are not going to want to miss this when the show airs on HBO: Jeff Beck's "Superstition" solo
is from another planet.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Then on Friday night....
From the Wall Street Journal...
Wall Street Journal says
As a whole, the second evening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th
Anniversary Concert ran much more smoothly than the previous night, with
reasonably seamless transitions between acts and ending before midnight. The
night was also chock-a-block with surprise musical pairings.
As noted earlier, Aretha Franklin started off the evening with duets with Annie
Lennox for "Chain of Fools" and Lenny Kravitz for "Think."
Next up, Jeff Beck, replacing late drop-out Eric Clapton (for gallstone
surgery), had a few surprise musical mash-ups of his own. First, he brought out
Sting who performed with Stevie Wonder the previous night for "People Get
Ready" and then jammed with Buddy Guy, who he says inspired him so much when he
first saw him in 1962, on "Let Me Love You Baby." Billy Gibbons later came out
for a take on Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady." (Beck also did nice solo work on two
salutes to other artists: Ray Charles' "Drown in My Tears" and the Beatles' "A
Day in the Life.")...
A synopsis from our friend 'Doc' of night 2...
Jeff Beck:
"Drown in My Own Tears"
This was an absolute surprise, and uncharacteristic of Jeff. It was a
slow tasty blues number. The projectors that that introduced each set
had just reviewed great bluesmen and their rock descendants. It made
for a beautiful transition from the blues to rock.
Jeff Beck and Sting:
"People Get Ready"
Sting walked on unannounced. It left many in the crowd wondering who
it was because he's now sporting a beard. He was well dressed as
well. Sting's did a great job handing the vocal chores. He did not
play the bass as he had the previous evening.
Jeff Beck:
"Freeway Boogie"
The camera caught Tal uncharacteristically speaking with Jason at one
point during the song and then a moment later it became obvious what
it was all about. Jeff gave a visual cue to Jason for his solo, it
SEEMED that perhaps they were questioning the inclusion of the solo.
"Cause We've Ended as Lovers"
Tal mesmerized the crowd. She had been semi hunched over during most
of the performance to this point, so the crowd hadn't really seen
what Tal is really like. When she launched into the solo section it
became obvious that this was a beautiful young woman wearing leather
pants creating tones that just SHOUDLN'T be coming from a woman of
her stature. Her solo was amazing, and her tone was incredible. The
crowd was won. :)
Buddy Guy with Jeff Beck:
"Let Me Love You"
Jeff introduced Buddy, saying that in about 62 or 63 he was a
tremendous influence on his and other's playing, including Jimi
Hendrix, and that we'd hear it. Sure enough, Buddy was incredible
with a tone reminiscent of Hendrix. I never before realized that his
sound was not such a clean sweet blues sound like BB, but rather
almost a bluesrock tone. This was a great moment, with a great bluesy
feel that kept you going.
Jeff Beck:
"Big Block"
Big Block was probably the song that the uninitiated enjoyed the
most. There's something about that beat and the crescendos that
nobody can deny, and Jeff's pyrotechnics just light it up.
"Rice Pudding"
I was THRILLED to hear this song, and was probably the only person
within 1000 square feet of my seat that actually knew the song, and
where it fits in his catalog (thanks to this list)!. You might
remember that about six months ago I was listening to BeckOla and
asked if he still performed it at all, having not yet even listened
to the 2002 Royal Festival Hall JB tribute show. It was THIS song,
not Big Block that Billy Gibbons walked on stage during the closing
30 or 60 seconds of, and had difficulty joining in. He TRIED to play
along but I think the only thing that really worked was his strumming
of the final chord. :)
Billy Gibbons and Jeff Beck:
"Rough Boy"
I'm not a big ZZ fan, and was relatively unfamiliar with this song.
It was a ballad that Billy sang on, and it sounded good with Jeff's
band. I was starting to question the pairing and whether this was a
good pairing, and didn't get enough of Billy's guitar work to hear
his trademark sound. BTW, Billy's a real trip with the hat and I'm
pretty sure I saw a bottle opener hanging from his neck. :)
Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons:
"Foxy Lady"
As I believe Bill and Ted would have said, This RAWKED!. I never got
to see Jimi live, but now I can at least say I've seen Foxy Lady
performed well enough to make him proud. One of the highlights of the
two days without a doubt. Jeff and Billy both took leads, and both
had fantastic and very different tones.
Jeff Beck:
"A Day in the Life"
A photo of the Beatles was projected behind them as they performed.
The performance was much as the previous live recordings we've heard,
the crowd around me really responded to the noisy crescendo and final
note.
All in all the set and the whole show itself only suffered from being
too short. After seeing the previous night's show I was disappointed
that the better show was the shorter show. The first show was nearly
2 hours longer than the 2nd. If memory serves me correct, Jeff stuck
with the same agenda used by all the performers (except the finale)
of the previous night (my hyphen doesn't work) no curtain calls. I
think Jeff was the only performer on the 2nd day that DIDN'T do a
curtain call, but they did do the familiar group bow and wave at the
end of the set, and I heard people around us giving an "aw" when they
saw it, with everyone's eyes glued to Tal whose physical presence was
unique.
Some more article and pics links;
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/10/30/hall-of-fame-annivers\ary-rocks-on-with-second-all-star-night/
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/30704499/the_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fa\me_25t/photo/13
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/30733808/the_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fa\me_25t/photo/5
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/30733808/the_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fa\me_25t/photo/6
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/30733808/the_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fa\me_25t/photo/7
http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1256459471281790.xml&coll=2
A description of the DVD includes the following;
The rehearsal footage alone of Jeff Beck, Flea, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ron Wood and Metallica trying
to figure out exactly how to play "Train Kept A-Rollin' " before this year's induction gala at
Cleveland's Public Auditorium is worth the price of admission.
http://www.whereseric.com/news/eric-clapton-jeff-beck-o2-london-13-february-2010
December 4, 2009
As we posted October 1st, Jeff was up for consideration for two Grammies....one "A Day In The Life" from "Performing Live
This Week At Ronnie Scott's" for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" and the "Performing Live This Week At Ronnie Scott's"
DVD/BluRay for "Best Long Form Music Video". Yesterday it was announce the got the nod for "Best Rock Instrumental Perfomance".
Nominations will be announced January 31, 2010.
JEFF BECK 2010 TOUR DATES
?
Feb. 13...O2 Arena, London, England w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 14...O2 arena, London, England w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 18...Madison Square Gardens, NY w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 19...Madison Square Gardens, NY w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 21...Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 22...Bell Centre, Montreal, QC w/ Eric Clapton
Mar.28...Fremantle Park, Fremantle, Australia (Buddy Guy Al DiMeola and more on the
bill)(and Joe Bonamassa)
Apr. 2...Blues Fest, Byron Bay, Australia
Jun. 18...Eastman Theatre, Rochester, NY
Jun. 26...Crossroads Festival, Chicago, Ill (tba)
And this press release comes from www.jeffbeck.com....
Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton announce shows in US and Canada.
(New York, NY) -- On the heels of a stunning collaboration in Tokyo, Japan last February and
after the announcement of two sold-out shows at the 02 Arena in London in February 2010, Jeff
Beck and Eric Clapton announced today an eagerly anticipated set of shows in the U.S. and Canada.
U.S. audiences recently saw Jeff Becks guitar mastery at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 25th
anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Becks 40 minute set with guests such as Sting,
Buddy Guy and Billy Gibbons along with a blistering rendition of Superstition in Stevie Wonders
set received strong critical acclaim.
The Beck-Clapton collaboration will undoubtedly be one of the must see shows of this decade, where
the artists will perform together and apart. The duo have shared the stage at Festivals and benefits
previously, but the Japan shows at the Saitama Super Arena marked the first time they had shared the
bill at a major arena. Both artists admitted to having a fantastic time on stage together and press
gave rave reviews. The concerts were so spectacular for the musicians and fans alike, that the two
decided to team up again at Londons prestigious 02 Arena and have quickly followed suit with the U.S.
and Canadian dates.
ThursFeb 18 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Sun Feb 21 Toronto, Canada Air Canada Center
Mon Feb 22 Montreal, Canada Bell Center
Eric and I played together in Japan earlier this year and had a blast. Since then we have been in regular
contact and talked about doing a similar show for our fans. Looking forward to the shows in 2010, said
Jeff Beck.
Ive always considered Jeff Beck to be one of the finest guitar players around. Hes a friend, a great guy,
and a truly gifted musician. We had such a fun time in Japan that it seemed natural to play together again,
said Eric Clapton.
Both Beck and Clapton have long and prestigious musical careers with countless honours and awards to their
names. Beck has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and Clapton is the only artist to be
inducted three times. Their musical paths are linked together by the Yardbirds a band that Clapton left in
1965 and his replacement, ironically, was Jeff Beck. Since those days, Beck and Clapton have remained friends,
but have only performed together a few times over the years for an occasional song at a charity event. Now,
more than 40 years after the Yardbirds disbanded, the two will join together on the same stage. The duo has
said that no exact set list has been discussed but they plan to each do their own respective sets followed by
a joint set that is expected to be longer than their first shows in Japan.
Jeff Becks recent release, Live at Ronnie Scotts DVD, has gone platinum in USA, Canada and Japan. Beck is
currently recording his first studio album in five years in London with Trevor Horne and Steve Lipson
producing. Eric Claptons recent release Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD has gone multi-platinum in the US.
Clapton also just completed a sold-out North American tour with former Blind Faith band member Steve Winwood.
Ticket On-Sale Information
New York General tickets on-sale Dec 12th
Toronto Tickets on-sale Dec 4th
Montreal Tickets on-sale Dec 5th
** Check local ticketing agencies and listings for updates
For New York:
The New York shows will be produced by Ron Delsener for Live Nation. Tickets will be available in
advance to American Express cardmembers.
Tickets will go on-sale first to American Express cardmembers through a special pre-sale, beginning
Monday, December 7, 2009. Tickets can be purchased via ticketmaster.com.
If tickets remain, a general on-sale date will follow on Saturday, December 12th.
SUPERSTITION
It was written for Jeff Beck. Stevie delivered it to the guitar maestro and then had second
thoughts, he decided to record it himself. "Superstition" was Stevie Wonder's breakthrough.
All these years later, "Sunshine Of My Life" is the most famous track off "Talking Book", but
it was "Superstition" that exploded Stevie Wonder, let him leave the "Little" appellation behind.
Sure, he'd put out "Music Of My Mind", had even toured with the Stones, but "Superwoman" got very
limited airplay. But the clavinet underpinning of "Superstition" could not be denied. Stevie Wonder
rode the track straight into the American mainstream, where he went on to deliver on the promise,
releasing three more albums just as good as "Talking Book", and they don't get any better.
Meantime, Jeff Beck ultimately cut an abysmal, bottom-heavy take of "Superstition" with Carmine Appice
and Tim Bogert and then went jazz-rock, and was forgotten by the hoi polloi.
Until last night.
I credit Harvey Goldsmith.
Beck's been great forever. Never lost a step. As hot today as he was in the Yardbirds, as he was when he
worked with Rod Stewart. His fleet fingers are dancing over so many records. But only when Eric Clapton
had to pull out of this Hall of Fame gig did Jeff Beck get his chance. I'm sure Harvey made it happen.
And boy did Jeff deliver.
Yup, almost four decades after Stevie Wonder retrieved his career-breaking hit, he called Jeff Beck on
stage, to wail, to play along.
And boy did he. Wail.
This was not nostalgia. This was not quaint. When Beck worked out, it was positively 2009, positively
alive. Live long enough, and maybe you get your due.
December 15, 2009
A couple quick blurbs to keep you up to date....we haven't done any Christmas shopping yet!
Jeff has a new record deal...with Rhino Records.....here's the release;
One of the worlds most respected artists, he is also completing his first studio album in
6 years, working at Sarm Studios in London. The album is being produced by the award winning
team of Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn and will be released mid March with Rhino Records,
part of the Warner Music Group.
I am delighted that Jeff has signed his new record deal with Rhino. Jeff will tour extensively
around the world in 2010 to support his new album said Manager Harvey Goldsmith.
That being said, here's the latest tour dates (thanks, Doc and Paul);
JEFF BECK 2010 TOUR DATES
Feb. 13 Sat...O2 Arena, London, England w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 14 Sun...O2 Arena, London, England w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 18. Thur..Madison Square Gardens, NY w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 19 Fri...Madison Square Gardens, NY w/ Eric Clapton
Feb. 21 Sun...Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
Feb. 22 Mon...Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Mar.25 Thur...Adelaide, Australia
Mar.26 Fri...Melbourne, Australia
Mar.28 Sun...Fremantle Park, Fremantle, Australia
Mar.30 Tue...Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Newtown, Australia
Apr. 1 Thur...Brisbane, Australia
Apr. 2 Fri...Blues Fest, Byron Bay, Australia
Apr. 7 Wed...Osaka, Japan
Apr. 8 Thur...Hyogo, Japan
Apr. 10 Sat...Tokyo (JBC Hall)
Apr. 12 Mon...Tokyo (International Forum)
Apr. 13 Tue...Tokyo (International Forum)
Jun. 18 Fri...Eastman Theatre, Rochester, NY (8PM show)
Jun. 18 Fri...Eastman Theatre, Rochester, NY (11PM show)
Jun. 26 Sat...Crossroads Festival, Chicago, Ill (tba)***
OCTOBER 2010
Fri 15th Bournemouth BIC 0844 576 3000
Sat 16th Brighton Centre 0844 847 1515
Sun 17th Birmingham Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333
Wed 20th Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 0844 395 4000
Thu 21st Manchester Apollo 08444 777 677
Fri 22nd Sheffield City Hall 0114 2789 789
Sun 24th Bristol Colston Hall 0117 922 3686
Mon 25th Cardiff St David's Hall 02920 878 444
Tue 26th London Royal Albert Hall 020 7589 8212
We've heard the British dates in October are already on sale and the RAH is almost sold out! Wow.
Hi Bill,
As always great work in keeping us fans up to date with news on Jeff Beck.
I check your site regularly and follow up on the many links. Your readers may
be interested to know that at long last the A.R.M.S. concert is available on
DVD. Spotted it yesterday, here in Vancouver, B.C, Canada, at the record shop
HMV while out Christmas shopping. This particular night was Sept 26 1983 at the
Royal Albert Hall, and has a killer lineup of Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Charlie
Watts, Chris Stainton, along with Ronnie Lane, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Page, and
of course JB.
Clapton, Winwood, and Page each play sets, and Andy Fairweather-Low sings a song
too. Jeff performs Star Cycle, The Pump, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, and Hi Ho Silver
Lining, and joins the ensemble for Tulsa Time and Layla The DVD is being marketed
as 'Eric Clapton & Friends...The A.R.M.S. Benefit Concert', and is put out by a
label named 'Immortal'. The program length is 112 minutes.
Cheers, David
Be seeing you