Jeff Beck RIP

[Joseph K]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64228780

Never checked out his stuff in depth but I always liked what I heard, e.g -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMryWoRRqUc

[Serial_Apologist]

Jeff never had quite the technique of some of the other British blues-rock guitarists, but he was arguably the first, pre-Hendrix, to experiment with "extended techniques", overloading amplifiers to produce "cosmic" overtones, firstly alongside "the other guitarist" in the Yardbirds, then with other groups, probably influencing some of the early US jazz-rock guitarists such as Larry Coryell, and our own Ray Russell and Chris Spedding. Something of a "rough diamond" I believe nevertheless he was deeply devoted to both instrument and music with a strong kinship with the blues.

[richardfinegold]

Notorious for playing half hour solos “Foggy Mountain Breakdown “ on stage while Rod Stewart et. al. pretended to look interested

[cloughie]

Top drawer guitarist. First came on to my radar as Clapton’s replacement in the Yardbirds and was very much part of their transformation from a white boy blues group towards Psychedelia and for a while played alongside Jimmy Page. Then after quitting through ill health the Jeff Beck group had a degree of success, alumni including Rod Stewart and Ron Wood (whatever happened to them?). I always got the impression that as a musician he did his own thing and was well respected across genres. Famous at S6 for ‘Hi ho Sheffield Wednesday’.

RIP Jeff.

[Joseph K]

Jeff never had quite the technique of some of the other British blues-rock guitarists,

I would dispute this, though I can't really offer examples to demonstrate why! I'll have to get back to you. Depends how you define 'technique' - for example, Jimmy Page often could sound impressive, though also sloppy, so overall his technique was somewhat haphazard. I don't think you could say the same thing of Beck - and he was very good at what he did, in the realms of phrasing, articulation, time-feel... and he could play fast when needed. He had more of a unique voice on the instrument than Page, I'd say (sorry, I don't mean to bash Page!)

[RichardB]

Surely there are subtleties in Beck's playing and imagination which more superficially showy players like Page and Clapton don't really come near. Electric guitar technique isn't really about how many notes you can play per second, it's also (especially in Beck's case) to do with where you place them in time and intonation, and how the timbre of the instrument can be varied with just the two hands (as opposed to pedals). Also he was never really concerned with commercial success, but just with the pleasure of sharing his musical ideas with whoever cared to listen, as you can clearly see and hear in the quartet with Rebello, Wilkenfeld and Colaiuta. It's not really my kind of music but I find myself very easily drawn into it.

[Joseph K]

Surely there are subtleties in Beck's playing and imagination which more superficially showy players like Page and Clapton don't really come near. Electric guitar technique isn't really about how many notes you can play per second, it's also (especially in Beck's case) to do with where you place them in time and intonation, and how the timbre of the instrument can be varied with just the two hands (as opposed to pedals). Also he was never really concerned with commercial success, but just with the pleasure of sharing his musical ideas with whoever cared to listen, as you can clearly see and hear in the quartet with Rebello, Wilkenfeld and Colaiuta. It's not really my kind of music but I find myself very easily drawn into it.

Well-put.

[ChandlersFord]

Rod Stewart's autobiography - which I'd recommend reading if you happen to be staying in a guest-house where it's been artfully added to the bookshelves - is very amusing about Jeff Beck. Rod claims that Beck was the model for the 'volume up to 11' guitarist in Spinal Tap, and there may be some truth in that. Jeff apparently cared not a jot for commercial success (which begs the question: what was he doing working with Mickey Most?) and only wanted to do his own thing - play his own music and restore classic cars. He managed to achieve both aims with considerable success (although undoubtedly the least rich of the three ex-Yardbirds plank-spankers, he evidently made enough dosh to make tax exile necessary in the mid-seventies). I'll never forget the first time I heard his version of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (by some person called Charles Mingus, of whom I'd never heard): it was the first time my mouth literally fell open at the skill and imagination on display (I prefer Mingus' own version nowadays, but Jeff pointed me toward it, didn't he?).

So, lots to be grateful to to Mr. Geoffrey Arnold, who also had a significant role in my favourite film of all time (Blow Up).

[Jazzrook]

Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scott's, 2007:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=zmnQd8UVsRY

JR

[Joseph K]

'Django' with John McLaughlin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_snqVCoNGd8

[DracoM]

Yardbirds / Eel Pie Island - yes.

[Joseph K]

This is a good article on Beck's style.

https://theconversation.com/jeff-beck-the-unorthodox-techniques-that-made-him-such-a-unique-guitarist-197840?fbclid=IwAR1W0JEGyTNSqihTZCByg5sgQGaRdT2xLXL651JqCKh5dpBdT59e1AKzX0g