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"Jeff Beck Commemorates Les Paul's 95th Birthday"
See Jeff's performance at Crossroads 2010.
Eric Clapton shares the stage with some of the greatest musicians in the world during a star-studded, extraordinary concert experience on Tuesday, July 27 when NCM Fathom and Rhino Entertainment present Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 in more than 475 movie theaters nationwide. The special two-hour event will feature highlights from the all-day prestigious Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010, including performances by Clapton, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, BB King, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, John Mayer, and many others. Theater audiences will also gain backstage VIP access to behind-the-scenes footage and see candid interviews with the performers captured exclusively for this cinema event. Limited seats available – click here to find a theater location and buy your tickets today
Jeff plays with ZZ top in Lucca.
Jeff Beck and his played an incredible set the other night in Lucca at the Lucca Summer Festival. The crowd were incredible and all sang Nessun Dorma as the band played the track on stage.......... Jeff later went on stage a joined ZZ Top for a few numbers.
Jeff plays US National Anthem.
Jeff plays the US National Anthem at the Tigers Game in Detroit on the 20th June 2010
ABC news report on Les Paul Tribute shows.
Watch Phil Lipof's report on Jeff's Tribute shows to Les Paul performed at the Iridium Jazz Club on the 8th & 9th June.
abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7495493
Jeff performs on Later........
watch Jeff's performance and interview on Later with Jools Holland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sj254
Jeff announces extra UK dates.
Jeff has announced today 2 extra UK dates:
October
Fri 15th Bournemouth, BIC
Sat 16th Brighton, Brighton Centre
Sun 17th Birmingham, Birmingham Symphony Hall
EXTRA SHOW - tickets on sale Friday 21st May
Tues 19th Preston, Guildhall
Wed 20th Glasgow, Clyde Auditorium
Thurs 21st Manchester, Apollo
Fri 22nd Sheffield, City Hall
Sun 24th Bristol, Colston Hall
Mon 25th Cardiff, St David's Hall
Tues 26th London, Royal Albert Hall
EXTRA SHOW- tickets on sale Friday 21st May
Wed 27th London, Royal Albert Hall
Jeff Beck to honor Les Paul in 2 special shows.
JEFF BECK HONORS LES PAUL WITH TWO INTIMATE SHOWS
AT NEW YORK’S IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB
Supported by Gibson Guitar
THE IMELDA MAY BAND JOINS BECK FOR JUNE 8 & 9 SHOWS
NEW ALBUM EMOTION & COMMOTION
DEBUTED AT # 11 ON BILLBOARD TOP 200 CHART
(Los Angeles, CA – May 5, 2010) The esteemed Iridium Jazz Club of New York City and Gibson Guitar proudly announce “A Celebration of Les Paul” - two intimate evenings with the legendary guitarist Jeff Beck on June 8 & 9, 2010.
These special shows will honor the late guitar great Les Paul, whose 95th birthday would have been June 9. They will take place in the very venue he played weekly for years, including just days before his death. Beck is honored to pay tribute to his mentor and friend; their relationship having spanned decades. Beck recalls his admiration beginning in the ‘60s, “When I first heard Les Paul playing ‘How High the Moon,’ I thought, man, that’s what I want my sound to be like. Now, here I am years later and he’s still a powerful influence in all that I do.”
The two shows promise to be a treat for fans of both Beck and Paul, with a strong mixture of memorable Les Paul classics, as well as some rockabilly favorites. Beck will be joined on stage by the Irish rockabilly sensation The Imelda May Band.
Beck has collaborated with Imelda May several times in the past, including the track "Lilac Wine" on Beck's new album Emotion & Commotion. The two also performed Paul’s “How High the Moon” live at the 2010 Grammy Awards, after which Beck declared of Paul, “I've often sung his praises to the press, but to actually get to play in tribute to him . . . it’s such a privilege.”
Tickets to the two-night event will be available exclusively through various promotions with radio, retail, print and online media partners. Details will be announced soon.
Les Paul played at The Iridium for over 12 years. The club now presents special Monday evenings dedicated to Paul featuring guitarists from all genres of music, where 20% of the door is donated to The Les Paul Foundation.
Beck’s album Emotion & Commotion, his first in seven years, was released on April 13 and has registered the highest debut week in his amazing 45 year career, with over 26,000 sold and rising. His critically praised album has electrified the music establishment, debuting at #11 on the Top 200 Billboard Chart. Beck also received his fifth Grammy award this past February for the track “A Day in the Life” from his platinum certified DVD Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s The current U.S. tour begins again in Boston on June 3, including a stop at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival and an appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival to finish the U.S. tour on June 26.
Outside of the Iridium dates, Beck is accompanied on the Emotion & Commotion U.S. tour, by his new touring band, including the Grammy award winning producer and songwriter Narada Michael Walden on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass, and Jason Rebello on keyboards.
Jeff Beck’s Emotion & Commotion Tour (Second Leg)
June
3 Boston Bank of America
4 Mashantucket Foxwoods Casino
5 Atlantic City Borgata
7 Vienna VA Wolftrap
8 New York Iridium Jazz Club
9 New York Iridium Jazz Club
11 Atlanta Chastain Park
12 Tennessee Bonnaroo
14 Montclair Wellmont Theatre
15 Asbury Park Paramount Theatre
17 Kingston UPAC Theatre
18 Rochester Rochester Festival
20 Detroit The Fillmore
21 Indianapolis Murat Centre,
Egyptian Room
23 Cincinnati PNC Pavilion
25 Milwaukee Summerfest
26 Chicago Crossroads Festival
Houston Show Review by Chris Gray .
Aftermath supposes that, when it comes to music, poetry is where you find it. But unlike the evergreen Beatles vs. Stones debate, or the even more pronounced vinyl/CD/MP3 back-and-forth, the line between those who prefer their music with lyrics and those who can take it straight without the benefit (or distraction) of accompanying words only seems as clear-cut as the other two.
Though we suspect it may not be quite what they set out to do, Jeff Beck and his three-piece band proved how difficult it can be for some folks, namely us, to divorce the notes we hear from the words that go along with them (even if those words exist only in our heads, as they did Saturday), and how easily it is for us to dismiss notes that have no corresponding words, no matter how expertly they are arranged and performed.
Aftermath's lyrics-first point of view, perhaps born of our lifelong love of language in all its forms of expression (including musically), seemed to put us in the minority at the sold-out Verizon Saturday. All around us, the seated audience was positively transfixed by Beck's formidable instrumental talent. Countless heads nodded in time, and twice that many pairs of eyes followed every swift swoop and slide of Beck's hands across his fingerboard. We swear we caught the guy next to us drooling at one point.
Sheer logic dictates that Saturday's entire audience couldn't have been composed entirely of guitarists, or even former or frustrated guitarists. Even for someone who could never quite tell the difference between a Stratocaster and a Telecaster - and whichever gleaming-cream Fender Beck was using up there, it was cherry and obviously looked after - there was never any question Beck deserves his place as one of the supreme guitar icons in rock and roll lore, right next to peers Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and former Yardbirds mate Jimmy Page.
And likewise, there was little doubt where Beck's instrumentals came from: Nearly every were rooted in the hard-driving tenacity and train-kept-a-rollin' boogie of the sizzling electric blues that so enchanted Beck and his mates in the '60s. Most of them came overlaid with a hard-rock/metallic sheen that suggested Eddie Van Halen must have worn some serious grooves in his Beck vinyl back in the early '70s, while the slower songs called to mind the Zen-like guitar meditations of Eric Johnson - technically masterful, completely centered and, for someone who knows what a pentatonic scale is but couldn't care less how many of them we hear at any given concert, kind of boring.
So it was no surprise to Aftermath that the songs that most resonated with us were the ones we recognized as having actual lyrics, occasionally even out loud: Muddy Waters' "Rollin & Tumblin'," as covered by the Yardbirds in the '60s and sung by bassist Rhonda Smith Saturday, slayed us most, as Smith showed gospel-caliber vocal chops to go along with the jazz- and funk-steeped instrumental skills that nearly upstaged her boss a couple of times.
Besides that, a thoughtful, care-taken version of Curtis Mayfield's gospel-soul anthem "People Get Ready" seemed to pass in slow motion, and an equally tender cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow. As Beck caressed every note of the timeless Wizard of Oz standard, Aftermath wondered if the guitarist was imagining the words in his head the same way we were, or if he was thinking in some foreign instrumental tongue. We got our answer a minute or two later, as Beck attempted to lead the audience in singing the final few words of the song, an attempt that never quite got off the ground. Oh well.
The rest of the evening, the guitarist seemed quite happy to communicate with his disciples in that inscrutable instrumental Esperanto, and we were quite happy to let them.
Review by Teresa Gubbins from the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie .
GRAND PRAIRIE — Showing how to speak volumes while barely uttering a word, English rock guitarist Jeff Beck delivered a moving performance on Sunday night to an appreciative crowd of more than 4,000 at the newly renamed Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie (formerly Nokia).
Beck, who just released Emotion & Commotion, his first studio album in seven years, exhibited the broad range and accomplished technique that's earned him the informal title "the guitarist's guitarist." Audience members squealed with delight, jumping up at least three times in spontaneous standing ovations.
Backed by an incredible band that included drummer Narada Michael Walden (who played on Beck's 1976 album Wired), keyboardist Jason Rebello, and bassist Rhonda Smith, he ran through an 18-song set that went from traditional blues song "Rollin' & Tumblin'" to his cover of "Over the Rainbow" from Wizard of Oz, which appears on the new release.
Beck's artillery of sounds and effects weren't just technically skillful, they were also emotional, each note infused with personality and depth. He made it seem like the guitar was talking, laughing, or shedding tears. He swung from deeply swooping notes to tiny pecks on the neck of the guitar, like Tarzan leaping from vine to vine. Exhilarating.
Early in the set, the guitar sounded uncannily inquisitive, as if it were asking a question. Later, on "Mna Na Eireann," an Irish song from the 1960’s played by the Chieftains, he stretched out the notes, bending them to create a sorrowful sound, then emitted a stream of notes that sounded like a dog barking. On "Brush With the Blues," he raised the guitar, the neck bobbing, then strummed down authoritatively, as if he were taming a bucking horse.
What made his efforts seem doubly potent was the understatement of his approach. He ran through nimble-fingered riffs that seemed beyond the realm of human possibility; but instead of accompanying such a display with the bonehead-guitarist smirking and lolling of tongue a la Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, Beck did so with quiet, elegant grace. He made what he did seem effortless.
The show was wisely paced, interspersing atmospheric pieces with funky rock numbers that showcased solos from the rest of the band, whom Beck introduced. Bassist Smith, sporting 3-inch-high stiletto-heeled pointy-toe leather boots, sang on a couple of songs, such as The Impressions' "People Get Ready," tapping out solos with the heel of her hand on the body of her guitar. Keyboardist Jason Rebello added backing vocals, sometimes using a vocorder for extra effect.
Beck wore his trademark sleeveless shirt and two thick shiny cuff bracelets on his right arm -- one on the bicep, one on the forearm -- answering the question, how do you make a bare arm look rock 'n roll? Of course, he didn't come out and answer any question. He was too busy talking with his guitar.
Jeff was interviewed for the Kansas City.com by Joel Francis.
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Guitar wizard Jeff Beck’s career spans six decades and encompasses rock, fusion, prog rock, rockabilly, techno and blues.
So when Beck says he prefers to experiment in different styles, it’s a bit like Mick Jagger saying he likes groupies.
There are times on Beck’s 17 studio albums where he dips into as many styles as he has on his latest release, “Emotion and Commotion.”
The record includes performances with a full orchestra, collaborations with Irish, soul and opera singers and a pair of tributes to the late Jeff Buckley.
“I try not to get stuck on something or I’ll end up doing four albums of the same thing. I dabble,” Beck said in a recent telephone interview while on tour in Australia.
The tour comes to Starlight Theatre on Wednesday.
While Beck covers the gamut, his latest album was largely the product of good-luck accidents. Taking a cue from his fellow guitarists in the Yardbirds, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Beck appears with an orchestra on several pieces, including Puccini’s aria “Nessun Dorma” and an arrangement of “Corpus Christi Carol,” recorded in tribute to Buckley.
“The whole idea of me doing classical numbers started five or six years ago,” Beck said. “I was trying to get my guitar to sound like a voice in an orchestra.”
The initial result — an interpretation of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 — remains unreleased, but it encouraged Beck to keep trying.
“It was a hell of a lot of work for it to just be lying around, but (Mahler’s Fifth) allowed me to compromise,” Beck said. “I didn’t want to take an entire album’s worth to EMI Classics, because I couldn’t see a career jumping on orchestra stages every night with me as conductor. So we just have a taste.”
Beck unintentionally mirrored another aspect of Clapton’s career when he covered “Over the Rainbow.” Clapton performed the number on his 2001 tour, but Beck said he has no intention of hearing Clapton’s interpretation “because I don’t want to realize any similarity.
“I used to watch weepy movies, genuine quality films by Busby Berkeley, where all of a sudden a band kicks in and music would happen,” Beck said. “When I heard that song, it was one of the most beautiful performances.”
The lush orchestral numbers are countered by a pair of songs featuring Joss Stone on vocals, and several hard-rocking cuts with his old touring band, including young British bass savant Tal Wilkenfeld.
On “Lilac Wine,” a second tribute to Buckley, Beck is joined by Imelda May on the mic.
“This is how my life is,” Beck said. “I meet people or hear about them, and then I find out they’re available when I look into them. Imelda and Joss are two of the most beautiful women ever, and they fancy working with me, so who’s going to say no?”
“Emotion and Commotion” closes with a song from the Oscar-winning score to “Atonement.” Beck had been working with an orchestra on the piece, when producer Steve Lipson told him opera singer Olivia Safe was recording next door.
“We played her ‘Elegy for Dunkirk,’ and she completely flipped out. The next thing I know, she’s sitting in on it,” Beck said. “I was missing some element on my own. The performance is much deeper, thanks to her.”
The tributes to Buckley were also serendipitous. Beck wasn’t familiar with the late singer-songwriter until someone slipped him a CD on the way out of a party.
Beck said he was incredibly moved by Buckley’s singing and wanted to interpret that voice on the guitar.
“Without any design, these songs slid into place,” he said. “At first we were going to do ‘Hallelujah,’ but that song has become very popular, so we decided against it.”
Before embarking on his latest tour, Beck paired with Clapton for a handful of dates in Japan. The shows featured solo sets from each guitarist and culminated with a jam.
“Eric and I have always been linked through the Yardbirds, but we always seem to brush casually past each other,” Beck said. “I know people were hoping we’d compete to see who’s better, but I’ve always thought it looks stupid to try and out-shred someone. Eric would hit me with a certain style of music, and then it’s up to me to respond. It’s a meeting of two people, not a guitar contest.”
While Beck’s tour will include about half of the songs from “Emotion and Commotion,” it will feature none of the guest musicians, including Wilkenfeld.
However, the tour has reunited Beck with drummer Narada Michael Walden, who played on Beck’s 1976 album “Wired.” Walden has since produced “The Bodyguard” soundtrack, wrote the No. 1 hit “Freeway of Love” for Aretha Franklin and has penned or produced other chart-toppers for Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, Starship and Al Jarreau.
“I had to replace the rhythm section because they had other commitments,” Beck said. “Tal had her own project to do, which she delayed while she was playing with me. I hesitated to call Narada because I knew how busy he was, but he said I should have called 30 years ago. He was waiting for the call.”
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