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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