Jeff Beck is highly revered in Japan, where guitar players command respect
and honor. So, with a new band featuring drummer Jonathan Joseph, guitarist
Nicholas Meier and bassist Rhonda Smith, it’s little wonder Beck chose
the Tokyo Dome City Hall as the setting for Live In Tokyo,
a beautifully shot live performance from April 9, 2014, and now available
for the world-at-large to view and be astounded on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
Maybe it’s just to assert his authority, but Beck doesn’t take
any chances when it comes to introducing himself and the band without leaving
a big impression. “Loaded” thuds forth, letting the band and Beck’s
powerful wind-up dig in. From there, the shades vary from light and sublime
(Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”), to cosmically exploratory
(Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “You Know, You Know”), to the exotic
(Nicholas Meier’s “Yemen”), to the classics (the Irish ballad
“Danny Boy” and the Beatles’ “A Day In The Life”).
Nothing is off limits when it comes to the musicianship on this stage.
Along with the rearrangements / revisits of familiar territory, there’s
a load of stuff Beck’s recorded himself, like “Led Boots,”
“Cause We Ended As Lovers,” “Big Block,” and “Rollin’
And Tumblin’,” with the guitarist’s dabbling in a bit of country picking at the intro. Which ever way you cut it, Beck is fearless when
it comes to who he is willing to share a stage with and what he’s willing
to attach a screaming guitar to. Often, the two go hand-in-hand. With Smith
and Joseph, he’s got a solid, jazz-centric rhythm section that can keep
up. And they’re not afraid to take a solo now and again.
Adding to the challenge is Swiss guitarist Meier, whose mastery of Eastern
music, flamenco, tango and jazz, enables him to create rich palettes and tapestries,
on either electric or acoustic, for Beck to sore and leap around. Meier can
also swirl out the right complementary lead when necessary. The chemistry
is instant, the power and dynamics are impenetrable. This may be, without
question, one of the best bands the guitarist has ever put together. A visual
treat with an option for DTS-Master HD, Live In Tokyo is
evidence enough, at the center of it all, Jeff Beck is still one of the greatest
rock guitarists — undeniably of the last century, and seemingly this
one as well.
~ Shawn Perry
