JEFF BECK — Live at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill September 10, 2003 (review)

JEFF BECK — Live at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill September 10, 2003 album cover Live album · 2003 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
This is mostly a Japan-only release in 03 with an all-Japanese booklet; this live album gives an idea of what Jeff is still doing on stage in the 2&st Century. In some ways, Jeff is more than happy to present the funky jazz-rock that he developed in the second half of the 70’s (especially the Jan Hammer days), despite releasing relatively crummy and disjointed studio albums for the last three decades. Actually the set-list is fairly close to the much more recent release At Ronnie Scott, but the line-up is different. Despite Beck’s general eclecticism in music (from blues to Rockabilly, from Jazz Rock to Hard Rock, from Funk to semi rap-technoid music), Jeff is the contrary of a chameleon (unlike Chris Spedding), because when you listen to his guitar….. it always sounds like Jeff (unlike Spedding) and you can recognize him miles away. That’s a sign of a real great musician (unlike Spedding) that will leave an indelible trace in music.

F course the main attraction is Beck’s incredible guitar antics and sounds but his back up drummer and bass with an odd keyboard intervention (notably on Middleton’s Scatterbrains) are all on par but will not shadow whatsoever Beck’s guitar fandango. The public is obviously appreciative, but was probably already won over a few decades ago. With now-standards Freeway Jam, Pork Pie Hat, Jeff is sort of playing it safe, but in the middle, there is a bit of a slack, including Seasons with pre-recorded rap-like female vocals (this is one of two tracks from his then-latest studio album of that year and called Jeff), a track that stands out a bit, but Jeff’s brilliant wailings on his Gibson turn things around. The two tracks from the previous studio album, Nadia and Roy’s Toy are fitting the set better, as are the tracks from who else, Psycho Sam and Brush With The Blues. Another crowd pleaser is the Beatles cover of Day In The Life, but to me, this always appeared to easy. A good release that would’ve gained much than being a regional product, even if the recent Ronnie Scott recording partly answered to this need.
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