Jeff Beck HOB 4/15/09

If you came to hear an acappella group or a nice choral ensemble you came to the wrong concert. There was one microphone on stage and it was off behind the curtain. The only time that microphone was used was, to introduce Jeff Beck, Jeff used it to introduce the band and he used it to tell his manager to Fuck off. The rest of the night was strictly instrumental. No prerecorded noises or vocals just straight pure music.

Jeff Beck assaults his guitar like a pedophile on a 14 year old or a coyote on a poodle. It shrieks and moans and growls and purrs. He is the master of the guitar. what kind of music is it? Jazz fusion blues rock. The band started with "Becks Bolero" and finished with the theme from "Peter Gun". In between was filled with "Pork Pie Hat", " A Day In The Life", "Because We Ended As Lovers", "Angel", "Where Were You", "Behind The Veil" and "Brush With The Blues" were some of the highlights. Jeff Beck played for an hour and 34 minutes.

Before the show I said that Jeff Beck always has one powerful person on stage with him and you notice the two of them and the rest of the people don't matter, ie Jan Hammer, Terry Bozio, Jennifer Batton. I thought it would be the Jeff Beck and Tal Wilkenfeld show this time around. Boy was I wrong. Jeff actually put together a complete band of musicians that can play their instruments and follow when they have to. The band actually exchanged glances to note shifts in the music and smiled at each other when the music soared to heights that were spectacular. They all took turns taking leads to show off their musical prowess. It made for a superb night of music. I think the best I have ever seen Jeff Beck perform. I have never seen a bad show but this one was surely special.

Tal Wilkenfeld is in her early twenties and a Bass prodigy. She has played with Clapton and the Allman Bros. Guitarists from around the world are lining up to play with her. She definitely can give Flea, Entwistle, Squire and the rest of the top bass players a run for their money. She is just a tiny girl with a huge full bass sound. At one point in the show Tal was playing the higher pitched two strings of her bass in a lead progression while Jeff played the lower strings in a bass rhythm at the same time on the same guitar, it was great.

Jason Rebello is a Jazz pianist that was hailed in the late 80's as the new up and coming star of Jazz. He definitely has honed his chops. He could play the Jan Hammer parts of songs superbly. Jason at times throughout the night would mimic Beck's guitar on keyboards and then soar off on his own. He is truly an accomplished keyboardist.

After seeing Terry Bozio with Jeff Beck in the past I did not feel any drummer could compare, along comes Vinnie Colaiuta to prove me wrong again. Vinnie's drum set was not as big as Bozio's but he was just as proficient on the skins as Bozio. Vinnie has played with Herbie Hancock, Dave Koz, Megadeath, Frank Zappa, George Duke and many more. His drum solo was strong and his interplay with the rest of the band more than adequate.

The band as a whole is the right band to play a best of Beck concert and that was what this concert was. You knew every song that they played. Jeff himself seemed pleased with their performance, smiling and howling throwing his arms in the air between songs. Jeff Beck smiling? Maybe the old curmudgeon is getting soft in his old age or he has finally surrounded himself with the right people.

Briboy said after the concert at least no one forgot the words to the songs. The great vocalist Roberto Pooch claims that Jeff Beck is the greatest guitarist he has ever seen and could not figure out what took Roberto so long to see Beck. Mr. Pooch was a Beck virgin. The show was great but not long enough in my estimation. I give it five twirls.