54 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011 Jeff Beck at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, Bridgeview, Ill., June 26, 2010
Beyond Artist & Beyond Album of the Year " Jeff Beck Deep Roots and New Heights By Bobby Reed " Photo by Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Two of Jeff Beck’s recent projects illustrate his deep roots and some new heights in his incredible career. The guitarist’s ATCO album Rock’n’Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) is a tribute to the music that Beck heard as a young lad, such as Les Paul and Mary Ford’s “How High The Moon.” The phenomenal ATCO record Emotion & Commotion was voted the DownBeat Beyond Album of the Year, and it demonstrates how Beck, who is the Beyond Artist of the Year, continues to explore new territory. Highlights on Emotion & Commotion include instrumental versions of two incredibly famous songs: “Over The Rainbow” and Puccini’s aria “Nessun Dorma.” Both tracks were recorded with a 64-piece orchestra. The fact that Beck can make these warhorses sound refreshingly vibrant is a testament to his virtuoso skills as a guitarist. Irish singer Imelda May knows Beck well. She collaborated with him on Rock’n’Roll Party, she toured with him, and she delivered a transcendent version of “Lilac Wine” on Emotion & Commotion. In a phone conversation from Boston, she described him: “When you’re around Jeff, his enthusiasm is infectious. He just loves music, and he always has his guitar with him. It’s like a part of his body. It’s an extra limb. Straight after the show, he’s back in his dressing room, playing guitar. We’ll have a jam session straight after the show. He never stops. Right before the gig, he’ll say, ‘Come here, sing this, I love this song. Do you want to sing it with me’ Jeff is always evolving, which is amazing. He’s always changing and coming up with his own thing. He’s constantly creating. It’s a joy to watch.” DownBeat contacted Beck at his home outside of London for this email interview. DB: “Hammerhead” (on Emotion & Commotion) is a composition you wrote with Jason Rebello. What was the inspiration for it Beck: “Hammerhead” was definitely inspired by Jan Hammer. Jason, my keyboard player, is a massive fan of his work. So, a while back, I asked Jason to create a different riff to “Hi Ho Silver Lining.” Jason wrote something incredible with Jan Hammer in mind that evolved later into “Hammerhead.” DB: Tell me about the process of selecting and recording that incredible version of “Over The Rainbow.” Beck: Jason [Rebello] said one day, “Why don’t we play ‘Over The Rainbow’ at the end of the show for a change” I was not keen at all, but we tried it out one day. I distinctly remember where we first tried it out, and all the band and crew were in the rehearsal studio. [Drummer] Vinnie [Colaiuta] was writing emails, not listening to what we were doing until I played the first few lines of it. And he folded the top down on his laptop, and he went, “F**k me. That’s great, unbelievable.” Goose bumps, because once again, the tune is familiar. When Judy Garland sang “Over The Rainbow,” the beauty of her voice was like something I had never heard before. I wanted to portray that when I was playing it on my guitar without the vocals. When Judy sang, her vibrato was unsteady, which made the song so special. When I play it, I try and hope that I get that special vibrato across, [as well as] the emotion out of the notes I hear. DB: Emotion & Commotion has a perfect blend of instrumental tracks and songs with vocals. Singers Imelda May (“Lilac Wine”) and Joss Stone (“I Put A Spell On You”) both make great contributions to the album. How did Olivia Safe become part of this project Beck: Olivia was in the studios where we were recording one day and I heard her voice, and I knew I wanted to have her on the album somehow. She has such a beautiful, operatic voice that enhances the orchestra and lifts “Elegy For Dunkirk” and “Serene.” DB: Trombone Shorty performs on the Les Paul tribute record with you, and you play on Trombone Shorty’s new album, For True (Verve Forecast). How did you meet him and start collaborating with him Beck: I met Trombone Shorty two years ago at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. After I had finished performing onstage, I was told I had to get down to this jazz club and see this guy called Trombone Shorty play. Wow, I was completely blown away—what a phenomenal talent he has. After that, he and his band supported me on my U.K. tour, and it has just gone on from there. DB: Your tribute concert to Les Paul at the Iridium in New York was recorded and became an album, a DVD and a TV special. Then you toured to support the project, bringing Imelda May and her band on the road with you. The Rock’n’Roll Party project has introduced many young listeners to the music of the incomparable genius Les Paul. What were the challenges and rewards of performing Les Paul’s music and honoring his legacy as a guitarist Beck: Les was an innovator. He created the most incredible sounds, and [he] was also my friend. I wanted to put on a tribute show to him which I knew he would have appreciated and enjoyed. The challenge was that we had very little time—a few hours—to rehearse through the show as a band and with the guest artists [at the Iridium]. I wanted to keep my playing as true to Les’ style as possible to do the show justice, and I hope I achieved that. Choosing the numbers to put in the set was also hard because he just had so many amazing tracks. But if we had done them all, we would have been there all night. DB DECEMBER 2011 DOWNBEAT 55
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