BECK,JEFF
PERFORMING THIS WEEK
Blu-Ray Disc - Requires Blu-Ray player
Release Date - 03/31/2009

Jeff Beck has had a very unusual career. His total unwillingness to play the “major-label game” has allowed him the freedom to make uncompromising albums that shun commercial success in favor of experimental, guitar-geek fetish fests. He makes albums for guitar players and the kooks who love them. Unlike his contemporaries he has never lost his chops (Page) or his edge (Clapton), and is beyond criticism in many ways. He pioneered a style of playing that nobody else can touch. His precision and taste remain intact and he has done nothing to embarrass himself or tarnish his reputation. The main complaint his fans have had with him has always been his reluctance to put stuff out and tour. They just can’t get enough of their man.

Performing This Week goes a long way toward rectifying that. This CD and DVD (sold separately) capture a week of exquisite performances at the famous and famously small club in London. Beck wastes no time in shredding through some of his most exciting material from throughout his long career. Opening with “Beck’s Bolero” it is obvious he is a guitar player still at the top of his game. There are no low points in this two-hour show and the high points are many. Clapton joins for two songs and the two of them wailing away together will give chills. He is also joined by Joss Stone for “People Get Ready” and Imogen Heap for a couple of numbers as well. The real excitement though is reserved for the Beck and his jaw-dropping band. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta is simply one of the best ever. It is hard to choose between drummer and band leader when listening. There is such an abundance of notes and technically brilliant playing it is overwhelming at times. One has to remember that Beck’s commercial and artistic zenith came with Blow by Blow and Wired. Those two albums in many ways defined “Jazz-Rock” and certainly gave the genre its finest examples. Beck’s band plays as much like Mahavishnu Orchestra as they do The Yardbirds. Bass player Tal Wilkenfeld is also worth mentioning. Young, beautiful and sublimely talented, she is the perfect musical and visual foil for Beck. She is no flash in the pan either. Her soloing is spot-on throughout, and her confidence on stage promises a long career. Longtime fans of Beck will be gratified at how intact and exciting his abilities are, and newcomers will wonder this guy doesn’t get more credit.