Legendary guitarist, Jeff Beck, at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
By: Rick Landers
Photos: Mike Davis
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame guitarist, Jeff Beck, gifted the crowd at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Vienna, Virginia with a full spectrum performance, weaving together a fine blend of classic r&b, rock, funk, opera, and a stirring show tune, all wrapped in soulful and superbly nuanced expression. When Jeff strolled on stage, the audience erupted.
Few rockers enjoy the reverence that Beck has earned over the course of five decades that includes his time with the legendary Yardbirds, a group that would also include guitarists Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Jeff’s musical prowess has been honored by the Rock ‘n’ Hall of Fame twice, in 1992 recognizing his milestone achievements with the Yardbirds and in 2009 for his work as a solo artist and band leader.
Check out GI’s interview with Jeff Beck
Driving the beat at Wolf Trap was Grammy winning producer and drummer, Nanada Michael Warren with the heavy hitting bassist, Rhonda Smith, flashing some high velocity bass work, as well as some hard hitting funk. On keyboards was Jason Rebello who’s worked with Beck since 2006 and showed up with a technically flawless, yet fluid performance. Throughout the evening, Nanada, Rhonda and Rebello echoed Jeff’s masterful guitar talents with their own.
Rhonda would be a stand out when she moved to the front of the stage to belt out Sly Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher”, all the while thumping percussively at her bass. Smith knows when to showboat and when to withdraw, but still it’s hard not be drawn to her vitality and magnetic stage presence. The song was heavy on the funk and Beck ripped into it before doing a dirt dive with his whammy bar to close it out.
Like Jeff Beck’s career his performances tend to roam around in eclectic fashion. And the Wolf Trap show was no different. Known for his instrumental voicing, he lit up the crowd with the intro riffs to “People Get Ready”, a tune from the ‘60s by the Impressions that Jeff has covered with Rod Stewart, Sting and Josh Stone.
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was simply gorgeous, lush with expression and sentiment. Jeff’s plays bareknuckled, without a pick. He plucks the strings, making thunder on the harder stuff, but can evoke such dreamlike serenity that he paints soft sonic landscapes, tender moments unlike any other guitarist on the planet.
Jeff Beck is simply one of a kind. And there was one point in the concert when he pulled out a slide and gently drew exquisite sweet sounds from his Strat, before tossing the slide out to some lucky fan.
A magnificent instrumental version of the Beatles, “A Day in the Life” was simply that – magnificent. Working the low heavy notes with an achingly slow pace, Beck nudged the tune so it oozed forward, before the delightful change…”Get up, get out of bed, dragged a comb across my head”…perked things up with Jeff reminding us of what a masterpiece the Beatles gave us.
Jeff Beck gifted the Wolf Trap crowd with funk, r&b, rock and opera
The Jeff Beck concert at Wolf Trap was filled with standing ovations and adulation for Jeff, as well as for the talents of Nanada, Rhonda and Jason. The quartet came back for an encore and charmed the audience with two more entertaining tunes.
Giving tribute to one of Jeff Beck’s friends and guitar hero, Les Paul, Jeff changed from his white Stratocaster to a worn black Les Paul and the group jumped into the 1951 hit of Les Paul and Mary Ford called, “How High the Moon” with a bit of background vocals that reminded all of the original Capitol record version.
The evening had cooled down and the moon was high, when Jeff Beck and his band of players moved into a beautiful aria from his latest Emotion & Commotion album called “Nessun Dorman” or “None Shall Sleep”, a tune drawn from the final act of the opera Turandot. By the end of the night, the broad sweep of Jeff Beck’s musical interests were apparently satisfied and delightfully satisfying.
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