Hello,

A sensational evening's entertainment! Rarely do I rave about the support act as well as the headliner but I urge you to take note of the name 'Trombone Shorty', aka Troy Andrews and his album 'Backatown'.

He is an exceptional trumpet-player and trumbonist with an equally dynamite band around him playing jazz, funk, rock or pretty much anything else they care to. We will be hearing more from this talent.

The main event was onstage at 8.45pm and it was clear from the off that Mr. Beck was in fine fettle, smiling and making loads of eye-contact with his band as well as the occasional shout or exultation: he was here to enjoy himself.

This version of his touring band seems to fit him slightly better than the one saw last year: to be honest, I'm not sure why exactly but it's one of those intangible things- you just sort of feel it. Glad I cleared that up, hah-hah!
It doesn't hurt I suppose to have a bass player (Rhonda Smith) who spent almost 10 years in Prince's band...and yes, she was gorgeous too.

As regards the set-list, well I suppose it was what you expected with a stunning 'People Get Ready' and 'A Day In The Life' amognst others, but I would be happy never to hear 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' again. Ever. By anyone. But that's probably just me!

If there any guitar players here then I wish they would tell me how on earth J.B. manages to coax and caress such sounds from his Strat, especially as he plays in the centre of the stage away from any effects pedals and close to his band-mates? No pick is used either: are the pick-ups super-sensitive, or what? Whatever it is, there is no-one doing what he does.

His 90 minute set flew-by and it was a joy to behold when he invited Trombone Shorty back onstage for a riotous encore- just such feelgood music!





























Cheers,

Si.

pleased you had a great night, Si.

Thanks for posting.
Saw Jeff in Utrecht last week.
Great band,great player.

Review in The Times (of the Brighton show)

No wonder Jeff Beck is so popular in Japan. He and his band looked like warriors from a manga cartoon: there was the Amazonian bass player Rhonda Smith, the bald giant drummer Narada Michael Walden and the keyboard boffin Jason Rebello. Then there was Beck himself, almost a caricature of a 1960s guitar hero, with his thatch of improbably black hair and bare arms decorated with bands of silver tape wrapped around wrist and bicep.

But if Beck and his band looked larger than life, that was nothing compared with the super-human skill that they brought to bear on the business of playing their instruments. Ultrafast slap-funk bass and thunderous, double-kick drum solos may not be to everyone’s taste, but not many players can pull off such stunts with the skill that is second nature to these people. And in any case, the more extreme show- boating elements of the performance were carefully rationed and disciplined.

Beck’s otherworldly technique found its voice in a broad selection of instrumental numbers that ranged from the melodic beauty of Curtis Mayfield’s People Get Ready and the Lennon/ McCartney classic A Day in the Life to the heavy, harsh blues-rock riffing of Blast from the East and The Block. Whether he was conjuring the most delicate harmonic notes imaginable with a slide at the bridge end of the guitar on Angel (Footsteps), or firing off a machinegun slew of stuttering squawks during Brush with the Blues, Beck exerted a control over his instrument that was little short of supernatural. The tone and texture of notes were sculpted into unfathomable shapes in the blink of an eye. An extraordinary display.

Extraordinary, too, was the feat by the opening act Trombone Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, the trombone and trumpet player from New Orleans. Combining the techniques of trad jazz with those of modern heavy rock and funk, Shorty’s five-man band put on a display of tremendous energy and crowd-pleasing braggadocio. “Don’t try this at home,” he yelled before going for a note that was surely close to the upper limit at which it could be detected by the human ear. His awesome, circular-breathing trumpet solo during St James Infirmary had the initially sedate crowd cheering and waving their hands with admiration.

Shorty and the saxophonist Tim McFatter returned to the stage at the end of Beck’s set and joined the guitarist for an encore of Sly Stone’s perennial foot-stomper I Want to Take you Higher. By then there really wasn’t anywhere much higher left for anyone to go.

Tour details: jeffbeck.com

You might have to scrape me off the floor at the end of the tour, but it'll be really good scrapings. - Mick Jagger

THE best electric guitarist who ever walked the face of this planet. Thank you Simon just Wonderful! Appreciated the inclusion of the review too. This is happiness.

Seeing him twice next week ><

You might have to scrape me off the floor at the end of the tour, but it'll be really good scrapings. - Mick Jagger

Lucky Han! I've never seen Beck play live; he only comes to my area when I'm out of town. I try not to take it personally, but... it is a pattern.

Thank you for the excellent photos, Simon. "If there any guitar players here then I wish they would tell me how on earth J.B. manages to coax and caress such sounds from his Strat, especially as he plays in the centre of the stage away from any effects pedals and close to his band-mates? No pick is used either: are the pick-ups super-sensitive, or what? Whatever it is, there is no-one doing what he does." It's all in the tremelo arm, I'm told, but as you say no one on earth plays like Jeff. His style is completely unorthodox, as his friend Jimmy Page commented upon Jeff's induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

And big kudos to Jeff for supporting female musicians in recent years: guitarist Jennifer Batten and bassists Tal Wilkenfeld and Rhonda Smith.

Jeff probably uses a decent valve amp cranked and the volume & tone pots on his guitar

NickB

You can't always get what you want.....

www.myspace.com/thesonkings

Saw him in Brussels last week. Excellent but after 45 min I was a bit bored.