Believe it or not this is our 20th year doing these 'What's New' thingys. So here we go again. Tour dates, tour dates tour dates!Jeff's doing a bunch of solo ones before resuming his co-headlining tour with ZZ Top. Tyler Bryant will be opening for them.
April 13, The Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY April 15, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 16, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 17, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 18, The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 19, Orpheum, Boston, MA April 21, Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston, NY April 22, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ April 24, Count Basie Theater, Red Band, NJ April 25, The Strand – Capital Performing Arts Center, York, PA April 26, The Palace, Greensburg, PA With ZZ Top... April 30, Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, TX May 1, Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK May 2, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX May 3, Concrete Street, Corpus Christi, TX May 7, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL May 8, Coral Sky Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL May 9, St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL May 10, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
The three dates at the Paramount in Huntington, NY reminds us of the old days when bands did 'residencies'...just goes to show there's a demand out there for great artists.
The new Tokyo BluRay/DVD is doing well. If you haven't got one yet you have to, it's killer. The Japanese version of the DVD as well as the BluRay have some extras including the band commenting on the setlist. Here are some reviews we've amassed.
As soon as Dick got his copy of the DVD he went down to get Jonathan Joseph, at one of his Monday night gigs at Churchill's in Miami, to autograph it.
We came across this 'year ender' article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It's by Daniel Durchholz and here's the relevant bit.
A second take: Some of year's best concerts were at smaller venues
My favorite shows of 2014 didn’t necessarily play out on the biggest stages in town (though a few did). Instead, my biggest musical pleasures were mostly wrapped in smaller packages. 4. Jeff Beck, Aug. 24 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Opening for ZZ Top, Beck blew the Texas trio off the stage with a (too) short set of blues, metal, funk and fusion that — nevermind the jazz variety; it was so hot it was more akin to nuclear fusion.Couldn't agree more.
Came across this bit of Beckology courtesy of Ed Chapero. A midwest U.S.songwriter and psychedelic 60’s band performer for 'Hi-Guys' Peter Pylypiw, (I thought this was a typo or auto-correct, it isn't! How do pronounce that??) who is still marketing his songwriting wares today, was called by Jeff to write in 1970. It was tied in with association with Greg Reeves who Jeff had an interest in for bass but Greg went onto Crosby, Stills & Nash. Here's the link, the last two lines are
what stand out. Release the hounds!
http://www.buckeyebeat.com/higuys.html
Dick got to visit with our other 'JB', Joe Bonnamassa when he played at the Seminole Hard Rock last December. Joe's a huge Jeff Beck fan and when the two get together there's always a few Jeff Beck rarities that Dick presents to Joe. We're in the process of firing up a new Jeff Beck Bulletin #20 and one of the first pieces we'll be doing is a great Joe Bonnamassa story so stay tuned for that.
Lastly, our blast from the past. We were going to post this for Christmas but alas we got distracted. This is Jeff and Jim McCarty at a Christmas dinner party circa 1983 when they working on the Yardbird's 'Box Of Frogs' Lp. Cheers!
JEFF BECK SIGNS EXCLUSIVE BOOK PUBLISHING DEAL GENESIS PUBLISHING TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION BOOK IN LATE 2015 OFFICIAL DOCUMENTARY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY ALSO IN THE WORKS (Los Angeles) Announced today, the legendary JEFF BECK has signed an exclusive publishing deal with the London-based Genesis Publishing Group. Plans to release a high quality ‘signed, limited-edition’ book are in the works for release in the last quarter of 2015. In addition, Beck is hard at work on an officially sanctioned documentary and is currently penning his own autobiography. Beck would like his fans to know, that while others may release un- authorized documentaries and biographies, these forthcoming works will be the only authorized versions by Beck himself. Beck's career took off in the mid-1960s, after replacing Eric Clapton as lead guitarist for The Yardbirds on the recommendation of his friend Jimmy Page. Over the years, Beck has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Roger Waters, Les Paul, Jon Bon Jovi, Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock and Joss Stone among many others. Beck has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once with The Yardbirds in 1992 and once as a solo artist in 2009. He has won numerous Grammy Awards, including two at the 2011 Grammy Award Celebration when he won Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Hammerhead” and Best Pop Instrumental performance for “Nessun Dorma”, both from his last studio album, Emotion & Commotion. Recently, in London, Beck participated in The Poppy Appeal song "No Man's Land", a tribute to the men and women that served in World War I, resulting in 4 performances, culminating in the NFL pre-game entertainment that was broadcast from Wembley Stadium. The song featured singer Joss Stone on vocals and a gospel choir with vocals arranged by Antonia Wilson. In the meantime, a DVD of Beck’s Tokyo concert from April 2014 was released last November and reached #1 on the Billboard DVD chart. For Beck, 2015 will include both solo tour dates as well as co-headlining dates with ZZ Top and will complete work on his new studio album, expected later this year. Joining Beck on both the solo and double-bill tour are his band: Jimmy Hall on Vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass, Jonathan Joseph on drums and Nicolas Meier on guitar Jeff Beck Solo Dates April 13, The Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY April 15, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 16, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 17, The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 18, The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 19, Orpheum, Boston, MA April 21, Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston, NY April 22, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ April 24, Count Basie Theater, Red Band, NJ April 25, The Strand – Capital Performing Arts Center, York, PA April 26, The Palace, Greensburg, PA With ZZ Top... April 30, Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, TX May 1, Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK May 2, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX May 3, Concrete Street, Corpus Christi, TX May 7, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL May 8, Coral Sky Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL May 9, St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL May 10, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
To get in the mood, here's a cool pic of Jeff and Rhonda taken by our now official photographer Dean Opper. This photo will also be featured in the booklet accompianing Jeff's new live CD on ATCO (Rhino) mentioned below.
Two Jeff Beck releases are due out soon. The first is a ATCO (Rhino) May 5th release of a live CD recorded during Jeff's abbreviated tour last summer entitled 'Jeff Beck Live+'. Full press release below.
The second is a Eagle Rock June 1st release of an expanded 2CD/3LP "Performing This Week- Live At Ronnie Scott's-Special Edition' package that will include all of the guest artist appearences; Eric Clapton, Joss Stone, Imogen Heap and the full Big Town Playboys set. Here's the track list:
CD1 Beck's Bolero Eternity's Breath Stratus Cause We've Ended As Lovers Behind The Veil You Never Know Nadia Blast From The Past Led Boots Angels (Footsteps) Scatterbain Medley Pt 1: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Medley Pt 2: Brush With The Blues Space Boogie Big Block A Day In The Life (Grammy Winner!) Where Were You CD2 People Get Ready (w/ Joss Stone) Blanket (w/ Imogen Heap) Little Brown Bird (w/ Eric Clapton) You Need Love (w/ Eric Clapton) Rollin’ And Tumblin’ (w/ Imogen Heap) Race With The Devil (w/ The Big Town Playboys) Crazy Legs (w/ The Big Town Playboys) Train Kept A Rollin’ (w/ The Big Town Playboys) My Baby Left Me (w/ The Big Town Playboys) Matchbox (w/ The Big Town Playboys) Baby Blue (w/ The Big Town Playboys) Honky Tonk (w/ The Big Town Playboys)
As we mentioned on our front page and in the press release above, Jeff has signed a publishing deal with Genesis Publishing for a limited edition autographed book due out later this year. An official autobiography and documentary are also in the works. We've heard thru the grapevine the basic form the limited edition will take and that the working title is "Grease And Strings". Ross Halfin we understand has been commissioned to take pictures of Jeff's guitars and cars. These pictures as well as others from his career will be shown accompianed by Jeff's own descriptions, recollections and anecdotes. We're looking forward to it!
This info about the book reminded us of a YouTube video I think (not sure) we linked to a couple of years ago...'Jeff Beck's Favorite Guitars'
And now this...our Goofy (no, that's Mickey) photo from 1981...Jeff with Rock N' Roll Mickey Mouse.
This is a late add....more solo Jeff Beck Band dates have just been announced (4/7/15). Here is the latest dates we have....
Jeff Beck Band: Rhonda Smith, bass; Jonathan Joseph, drums; Nicolas Meier, MIDI guitar/guitars; and Jimmy Hall, vocals. Opening act for all dates: Tyler Bryant. Solo dates w/Jeff Beck as headliner: April 13 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 15 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 16 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 17 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 18 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 19 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA April 21 Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston, NY April 22 Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ April 24 Count Basie Theatre, Red Band, NJ April 25 The Strand – Capital Performing Arts Center, York, PA April 26 The Palace Theatre, Greensburg, PA With ZZ Top: April 30 Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, TX May 1 Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK May 2 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX May 3 Concrete Street, Corpus Christi, TX May 7 MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL May 8 Coral Sky Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL (also Bushwood) May 9 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL May 10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA Solo dates w/Jeff Beck as headliner: May 12 The Kentucky Center –Whitney Hall, Louisville, KY May 14 Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI May 15 Hard Rock Casino, Northfield, OH May 16 PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH May 17 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN May 19 Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO May 21 Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL May 22 Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI May 23 State Theater, Minneapolis, MN
JEFF BECK LIVE+ New Live Album Spanning The Legendary Guitarist’s Vast And Varied Career, Along With Two New Studio Tracks, Available May 5 New Solo Dates Announced For May, Tour Kicks Off April 13, Includes Dates With ZZ TOP LOS ANGELES – Jeff Beck earned raves last year for his spellbinding performances during the hugely successful double-bill tour with ZZ TOP. Fans can relive Beck’s thrilling guitar gymnastics from those shows with a new live album that touches on key eras from the legendary artist’s influential career. The album captures a snapshot of Jeff’s work in 2014, with two newly recorded studio tracks also included, his first new music since 2010’s Grammy®-winning Emotion & Commotion. Packed with more than an hour of music, JEFF BECK LIVE+ will be available from Atco Records, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment, on May 5 for a list price of $18.98 (CD) and will also be available digitally. The album will arrive as Beck is in the midst of an East Coast solo tour, which includes newly added dates in May. This trek also features make-up dates from the same ZZ TOP tour this album was recorded during, before it was cut short due to an injury to ZZ TOP bassist Dusty Hill. The 14 live performances on JEFF BECK LIVE+ were recorded at multiple venues in 2014 and feature Beck backed by his band: vocalist Jimmy Hall, bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph and guitarist Nicolas Meier. The quintet explored Beck’s vast catalog—which stretches across five decades—with performances of “Morning Dew” (from Truth, 1968), “Superstition” (from Beck, Bogert, Appice, 1973), “Big Block” (from Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop, 1989), as well as two Grammy-winning tracks: his cover of the Beatles’ “A Day In The Life” and “Hammerhead.” LIVE + concludes with two new studio tracks: “Tribal” and “My Tiled White Floor,” with guest vocals from Ruth Lorenzo and Veronica Bellino, respectively. These aggressive new songs mark Beck’s first studio recordings since 2010 and show a stark departure from the sound on his previous album as the guitarist continues to push the envelope of musical innovation, just as he has his entire career. These tracks are sure to whet the appetite of Beck fans as the guitarist prepares his 17th studio album, which is expected later this year. Throughout his career, Beck has also proven to be a brilliant interpreter of other’s songs. This live album doesn’t disappoint with covers of “Danny Boy,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “You Know You Know,” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Beck’s career took off in the mid-1960s, after replacing Eric Clapton as lead guitarist for The Yardbirds on the recommendation of his friend Jimmy Page. He played on several of the rock group’s hits, such as “Heart Full of Soul,” “Shapes of Things” and “Over Under Sideways Down.” Beck has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once with The Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009. He has won numerous Grammy Awards, including two in 2011. JEFF BECK LIVE+ Track Listing 1. “Loaded” 2. “Morning Dew” 3. “You Know You Know” 4. “Why Give It Away” 5. “A Change Is Gonna Come” 6. “A Day In The Life” 7. “Superstition” 8. “Hammerhead” 9. “Little Wing” 10.“Big Block” 11.“Where Were You” 12.“Danny Boy” 13.“Rollin’ And Tumblin’” 14.“Going Down” 15.“Tribal”* 16.“My Tiled White Floor”* *New Studio Recording Jeff Beck Solo Dates April 13 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 15 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 16 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 17 The Paramount, Huntington, NY April 18 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY April 19 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA April 21 Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston, NY April 22 Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ April 24 Count Basie Theatre, Red Band, NJ April 25 The Strand – Capital Performing Arts Center, York, PA April 26 The Palace Theatre, Greensburg, PA With ZZ TOP April 30 Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, TX May 1 Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK May 2 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX May 3 Concrete Street, Corpus Christi, TX May 7 MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL May 8 Coral Sky Amphitheater, West Palm Beach, FL (also Bushwood) May 9 St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL May 10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA Jeff Beck Newly Added Solo Dates – on sale dates noted: May 12 The Kentucky Center –Whitney Hall, Louisville, KY* May 14 Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI*** May 15 Hard Rock Casino, Northfield, OH* May 16 PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH May 17 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN May 19 Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO* May 21 Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL** May 22 Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI* May 23 State Theater, Minneapolis, MN* *on sale April 10 ** on sale April 11 *** on sale April 17
We've gotten so many great pics from the tour of Jeff's performances and of aftershow pics with fans that's it's really overwhelming to pick out and sort out what to share with you. However right now we'd like to share these from the Nashville show because of the interesting guests who showed up to the aftershow. First up our dear friend Buddy Davis is seen here with Jeff. Buddy, as fans of the page know, is the one who sold Jeff the famous Oxblood Les Paul. His aftershow story will also be posted soon in JBB#20.
Also at the Nashville show, rock royalty, Lisa Marie Presley. She tweeted out this pic and we had to keep the tweet attached...too good.
Rumour has it that Lisa Marie is working on a new project and approached Jeff to contribute....we'll see.
Speaking of projects, we recently learned that Jeff recorded a bunch of stuff for former Big Town Playboys/Imelda May Band guitarist/singer (and husband) Darrel Hingham a couple of years ago. When we contacted Darrel about this, this was his reply.
Ah, yes... Well, we did record a lot and the idea was to do a whole album of rockabilly material. I wrote a load of songs and we recorded them. We spent quite a lot of time on it and then it sort of died a death... I ended up using all the songs on different things (mainly the Katmen album that came out a year or two back). A real shame as this project with Jeff could've been really good. I've no idea if it will ever see the light of day, probably not now. Thanks for the message. All the best, Darrel
'Jeff Beck Live+' is out and doing well. #1 on Amazon Classic Rock digital sales for the week of 5/19 - 5/26 and...it features photos in the booklet taken by our own official photographer Dean Opper (Yay!). You've bought your copy we expect but...if you haven't...here's your chance...to...win not only a Jeff Beck Live+ CD...but...a promo poster and collectable post card things. Here's the Jeff Beck Fan Page Facebook link; https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551542765104920/ which will oddly instruct you to come back to www.ainian.com to get Dick's email address which is; dick.wyzanski@gmail.com and email him your views on why you think Jeff's playing is the cat's pajamas as we old folks like to say.
A quick couple of odd's and sod's now...our friend Jim Copley, drummer extrodinaire (Tears For Fears, UPP, Bad Apples), was going thru some old photos and found some of him jamming with Jeff at his house with him and...his mother. No joke, Mom played piano. We posted one of the photos awhile back but here are some others.
Our friend Steve White recently posted on YouTube this 1984 interview of Jeff and Rod Stewart as they were doing promotion for the 'Infatuation' single...cool stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tapUPctUmIM.
Lastly thru the time tunnel....this only known photo taken of the original Jeff Beck Group with Junior Woods on bass, Sweden, 1968. Ronnie got fired and then was reinstated.
On Jeff's birthday (6/24) ZZ Top played the SSE Arena, Wembley, UK. Jeff showed up to the show a got a birthday cake from the band which prompted Billy to say, "You're going to have to work that off!". Jeff then played 'Rough Boy', 'Tush' and 'La Grange' with the boys. Here you can see Sandra bringing out the cake onstage. After the show the party continued at the private club 'Tramps' in the Royal District of London.
Check out our '2015 Tour Reports By Our Special Correspondents' in JBB#20. Good stuff there.
We have a winner! As we mentioned last update, the Jeff Beck Facebook fan page ran a contest to win a Jeff Beck Live+ CD and some other promotional material by telling us what you think makes Jeff Beck's playing so special. Here is Dick announcing the winner...
The Jeff Beck Live+ CD and portions package giveaway contest is over. The winners are Linda Susan Mingo 1st place and a tie for second between Drew Stawin and Paul Grey, both of whom will also receive packages with the aid of Rhino records. So a big shout out to them! The judges had a rewarding, albeit challenging, time sorting great entries of 'What Jeff's Music Means To Me' as their heartfelt submissions comprised all the way from an endearing 11 year old first time fan to an accomplished Jeff Beck and music officianado with a last minute entry. All great stuff. In the end the tallies were made and to all that entered we say right on with encouragement to continue to be the great fans you are!!. Here, with permission, is Linda Susan Mingo's winning entry which she chose in poetic format:
Iconoclassic Records is set to re-release the 'Orange' Lp with new liner notes using an upgraded master through Sony licensing as happened recently with 'Rough And Ready', now available online at amazon.com. Dick gets a mention in the 'Rough And Ready' liner notes for the www.ainian.com phone interview he did some years ago with Max Middleton...
"I used to work on the docks in London," Middleton recalled in an interview with Dick Wyzanski for The Jeff Beck Bulletin. "I had been playing professionally for only about six months. I knew Clive Chaman and I lived up the road from where they were rehearsing...I'd never heard of Jeff before that."
Jeff also recently attended and played 'Over The Rainbow' at a memorial for the late British producer Jeremy Lloyd ('Are You Being Served?"). Bill Wyman was a close friend of Jeremy's and is seen here with Jeff.
Dick recently was in contact with former Big Town Playboy, current Imelda May guitarist/singer Darrel Higham. He passed on this anecdote about touring with Jeff several years ago...
"Yes, Dick. When touring in the US together, Jeff had a virtual Spitfire flight control programme and we spent ages trying to fly the bloody thing!! Jeff was much better at it than me. I'd have been shot down in seconds..."Hah.
Our friend John Hill reports that when Fender gave Jeff the replica model of the Yardbirds era Esquire that Jeff had given to Seymour Duncan, it was too painful a reminder to Jeff of that loss of guitar so he gave it to Eric who was so sensitive to Jeff's feelings that instead of keeping it, donated it to the Crossroads charity.
Now our blast from the past...1967, Marquee Club, a pic of an early line-up of the JBG...Woody, Jeff and Chris Barber on trombone?
We have a new Jeff Beck Bulletin out, the 21st. Hard to believe we've been doing this page since 1995 and Dick started doing the Fanzines in the late 80's. In it we have a feature on JB 2, Jennifer Batten and some tour reports from Japan so check those out. Jennifer btw recently gave our friend Robert Mason and Dick a 'shout out' on her 'V Log' which appears on her YouTube channel.
As we've previously mentioned Dick and ainian.com got another 'shout out' in the liner notes to the HD CD remaster of the 'Rough And Ready' Lp written by Paul Myers, brother of Mike Myers. Related to this (get it) is Scott Carvey, brother of Dana Carvey who painted this tribute to Jeff. We hear Jeff and Sandra like it so much they've requested a print.
Are Christmas bells ringing for a book from Jeff Beck? We now know the book that had the working title 'Grease And Strings' no longer has that working title but rumour has it that it is in it's last phases and that pre-orders in time for Christmas are possible with a ship date in early 2016. The book is said to feature never before seen photos from Jeff's career accompianied by rememberances and anecdotes from Jeff.
Word is a tour in being considered for 2016 that will be touted as a 50th Anniversary of Jeff's solo career. Now this could be very interesting as we hear it's being bandied about that certain artists from Jeff's previous bands could be featured or 'sitting in' (we don't know) at various dates however this is all just talk right now.
This is kind of funny. Dick has been on Jeff's management for years to try and get him to agree to have his CD's involved in trendy national chain point of purchase type programs...Dick's wife, Trini spotted this recently....two copies of Live+ at full 14.99 retail at Whole Foods. Could Starbucks be far behind? We put the question to the Rhino rep. Waiting to hear back.
Chris Plant of the Robert Plant clan along with wife Carlolyn have become very good friends of the movement through the Jeff Beck FaceBook unoffocial fan page. While they are pretty close to the vest as they say and hence must be respected for their and Jeff's privacy, they are willing to share some historical encounters regarding Jeff. This is one of them, a pic of Chris in the seventies hanging out on another of Jeff's pride and joys......a Red Ford Roadster.....More to come on these pages. Stay tuned.
Dick and our old friend Ed Chapero spend some time now and then searching the web for anything to do with Jeff Beck. Here now are a few links and excerpts from what they've found.
Is it true that at one time Jeff Beck was going to join your band, The Hoochie Coochie Men? Yes, that would have been back in about 1964. But his wife at that time didn’t agree with people playing music full time, and she said, “No no no”. He had a daytime job then.
"My mate Geoff Whitehorn plays most of the guitar on the Amused To Death album. Jeff Beck is the star name, but if you listen closely, most of the intricate guitar work, apart from the heavy Jeff Beck solos, is my friend Geoff Whitehorn who played guitar in Crawler with us, he is excellent." Alastair: Any stories about those sessions? Geoff: The best one, the only one really I can think of is when Jeff Beck came in to do some of his bits and pieces, ...your ideas of rock stars, if you like, well, he turned up looking the scruffiest I have ever seen anybody turn up ever. With his Corvette, the back window open with an old Fender amp stuck in it, sort of hanging out and a beaten up old guitar and stuff, and wearing a pair of the filthiest trainers and jogging bottoms you ever saw, with the knees hanging out, a complete anti-rock star. It was great and he played his arse off, as you know.
You mention Jeff Beck, didn’t he tour with you and Rod over in the States? That’s right Kevin. I was lucky to tour with Jeff Beck when he joined us on one of Rod’s American tours. He didn’t last very long; he lasted about ten shows and then he got fed up and went home (laughter). But while he was there we had lots of rehearsals, almost six weeks, which at that time was unheard of. But typical of us in the six weeks of rehearsals we never ran the show from top to bottom (laughter). We would do a few songs; look at each other and say that’s enough and fuck off down to the pub (laughter). But Jeff would show me stuff that was extraordinary and to this day I still can’t play it and believe me I have tried. He does something with the sixteenth note with his thumb up and back over the bass strings whilst playing other stuff with his fingers. That is so difficult, and I have tried and tried and whilst I might get it for five seconds, I will shout “I’m doing it, I’m doing it” but then I crash (laughter). God bless him. I have got to know Jeff a little bit over the years and he is a good guy, I like him very much. I was shocked when I asked Jeff if he still practised and he replied every day. I thought that if Jeff Beck practises every day then so would I, so I have started practising again. As a songwriter Jeff doesn’t write anything as much as I do but as a writer I am not necessarily practising, I am just writing songs. It is a whole different mind-set. Now that I have started practicing and getting my chops back into it, I am really enjoying it which is good. I hadn’t really done it seriously for quite a long time.
Hendrix had a couple of guys on tour who would bring this record player to his room for him. It was this giant piece of furniture—one of those giant record players you’d see in somebody’s home. One night, he was playing the new Jeff Beck record and he said, “I heard you know Jeff Beck.” And I said, “Yeah, I know him.” I must have been 17, but I had met Jeff Beck earlier when the Jeff Beck Group had come through the States; we became friends. And Hendrix said, “Well, how does he do this?” And I said, “Well, you’re Jimi Hendrix, the question is reversed.” But he said, “Nah, man,” and it was fascinating to watch Hendrix sitting there, cross-legged with his Stratocaster upside down, playing Jeff Beck licks. It was crazy.
Tyler Bryant And The Shakedown are back out on the road in support of their new 'Wayside' Ep. Here's of shot of them on their way to a gig at the Brooklyn Bowl. The boys will be opening up for the Billy Gibbons And The BFG's tour in support of Billy's solo project 'Perfectamundo'.
Here's a cool old photo shoot Robert Knight did with Jeff for a special edition of Guitar Player back in 1995.
Our Japanese friend Hiroko Minomura, whose photos are featured in JBB #21 in our Japanese tour reports, sent us a pic of herself and Jeff from his 1986 tour of Japan. Behind them in the bus you can see Jan Hammer photo bombing them. Hah.
And now for our blast from the past...Jeff, San Francisco, 1968.
Be seeing you.