Friday, July 24, 2009

Rollin' and a Tumblin' at Ronnie Scott's

Fellow blogger Bill (hmm, there's a blues lyric in there somewhere) recommended the Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's DVD with his highest praise just the other day. And then I stumbled on this number with Imogen Heap on vocals. Stellar guitar work from Beck and I have been a fan of Heap's since her Frou Frou days. She is not a blues shouter but the visual and vocal counterpoint works well. Beck's never been a beaten path sort of player and this collaboration with Heap is inspired.

Beck has long been a favorite. I saw the first two Beck, Bogert and Appice performances live in London in '72, and again that following spring in Syracuse. They were fronted in the 'Cuse by Wet Willie, a bit of creative scheduling that left me baffled. Jeff Beck having to follow a group named for sticking a saliva gobbed-finger in someone's ear, what was the world coming to? Keep on Smilin' I was not.

But enough. Jeff Beck:



Ok, now for a bit of wallowing in the '70s. First up, my initial encounter with Stevie Wonder's Superstition was this one:



That's Timmy Bogert and Carmine Appice backing Jeff Beck. I had been a Vanilla Fudge fan and this other band featuring Bogert and Appice:



Rusty Day was on vocals and Detroit's own Jim McCarty was on guitar. I caught Cactus in '71 at the Syracuse War Memorial, following Chase (!) and before Black Sabbath. Great seats and a great show.

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