2023 mag gerust een vreselijk jaar genoemd worden voor de muziekwereld. David Crosby, Top Topham, Gary Rossington, Tony McPhee, Randy Meisner, Robby Robertson, Gary Wright, Brendan Crocker, Shane MacGowan, Denny Laine, Tina Turner en Jeff Beck begonnen allen aan een lange eindeloze reis.

Early Jeff Beck

Zijn we terecht gekomen bij het begin van het einde?  Die periode waarin de menselijke verliezen zich zullen opstapelen.  En niet van waanzinnige oorlogen, maar “gewoon” omdat het einde van onze generaties nadert? ‘Presley’s’ dochter, overleden na amper 54 jaar op deze aardkloot.

Woensdagavond acht uur en ‘Terzake’ gaat helemaal de mist in. ‘Annelies Beck’ redt onverstoord de meubelen, en precies om dertien na acht wordt de reportage hervat.  Die andere ‘Beck’ heeft zichzelf niet kunnen redden. Een virus was er teveel aan. Het valt mij op dat de nationale omroep, die bulkt van de klaarliggende necrologieën blijkbaar  over ‘Jeff Beck’ weinig heeft klaarliggen. Anderen verbazen er zich over dat de sociale media overspoeld worden met lofbetuigingen aan het adres van Jeff en ‘Sandra’ zijn echtgenote. Overigens blijkt dat op de VRT nieuwslezers in hun ‘dode’ uren tussen de journaals in vaak aan de waggel worden gehouden door necrologieën  te schrijven over iedereen waarvan ze denken er enkele minuten te moeten aan weiden.  Vraag het maar na bij het lief van Van Het Groenewoud; zij was een van de doodsbericht schrijvers, tenminste  in de dagen dat ze nog op de Nieuwsdienst werkte en zich blauw ergerde wanneer het middagjournaal weer eens de mist in ging.

Over Jeff Beck hebben we het al uitgebreid gehad toen de man nog in leven was (*), en hij meer dan wat aandacht verdiende, want zelf was hij daar zeker niet op uit.  Hij die vond dat het publiek niet te lang moest applaudisseren, ‘omdat dat gewoon tijdverlies was’ en hij niets liever deed dan snel een nieuw nummer inzetten.

Laat ons stilstaan bij de vele eerbetuigingen waarmee de sociale media overspoeld werden. Uiteraard kwamen er reacties van ‘Eric Clapton’ en ‘Jimmy Page’, zijn voor- en naganger in de ‘Yardbirds’.  ‘Rod the Mod’ en ‘Ron Wood’ die dankzij Beck voor het eerst in Amerika belanden als leden van de ‘Jeff Beck Group’ pleegden enkele woorden. De lijst is eindeloos met namen van  muzikanten waar Beck zijn medewerking aan verleende. Van ‘Stevie Wonder’ tot ‘Mick Jagger’ over ‘Roger Waters’. Vooral gitaristen die in de sporen van Beck wilden treden laten van zich horen, en produceren vaak meerdere alinea’s tekst met herinneringen. Dikwijls zijn het de korte reacties die beklijven.

Hoe kijken leeftijdsgenoten aan tegen dit verlies?  De ene dag nog springlevend, en bezig met allerlei projecten, en de andere dag geveld worden door meningitis.

Om de Yardbirds of de Jeff Beck Group aan het werk te zien waren we net iets te jong. Platen kopen dat wel.  Ik denk nog vaak aan die keer in de ‘Telcona’ winkel te Aalst waar ik ‘Under Over Sideways Down’ (zonder hoesje) kocht en ‘Shape of Things’, met hoesje, liet liggen. Keuze gemaakt op basis van de titel die op de B-kant stond, namelijk: ‘Jeffs Boogie’.

Het mag gezegd dat Jeff bij ons al aansloeg in 1967 vanaf de eerste, door hemzelf, gehate singels ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ en ‘Tallyman’ waarop hij “moest” zingen omdat ‘Micky Most’ het zo wou.  Most is intussen zelf al een paar jaar geleden vertrokken naar de eeuwige jachtvelden, met een lading asbest in zijn lijf. Een jaar later verbaasde Jeff Beck de mensheid door een songfestival nummertje te coveren: ‘L’amour est blue’ van ene ‘Vicky’ dat door Luxemburg naar het songfestival was gestuurd.  Vicky verpopte later tot ‘Vicky Leandros’ en L’amour est blue, door Paul Mauriat reeds in een instrumentale versie uitgebracht, transformeerde Beck tot het eveneens instrumentale,  prachtige Love is blue. Op de b-kant maakten we voor het eerst kennis met de rauwe stem van ‘Rod Stewart’ die er het nummer ‘I’ve been drinking’ mocht ‘kwelen’. Met de b-kant van Hi Ho Silver Lining  verliep de kennismaking pas jaren later, en dat dankzij Jimmy Page.

In de zomer van 1975 trokken we naar Londen om er Pink Floyd te zien, en onderweg platen in te slaan.  ‘Hans Laurie’ in ons gezelschap was toen vol lof over ‘Blow by Blow’, de eerste echte solo plaat van Beck op dat ogenblik.  Beck nam kort daarvoor voor nog op met ‘Carmine Appice’ en ‘Tim Bogert’ van de ‘Vanilla Fudge’.

Beck probeerde echt alles, gaande van een samenwerking met Stevie Wonder tot deelnemen aan een auditie voor de Rolling Stones die een opvolger zochten voor Mick Taylor.  Het was niet het kopje thee van Jeff en hij trok in 74 naar ‘George Martin’. Van de samenwerking kwam een plaat die voor geen meter viel te vergelijken met wat hij eerder deed in de Jeff Beck Group. De plaat viel nog best te omschrijven als een jazz-fusion crossover meesterwerk. Het begin van een carrière met hoogtes en laagtes en vooral vele verschillende stijlen.  Het lijkt er op alsof Jeff echt alles uit een gitaar wilde halen.

En toen, en toen…. kwamen de vermaledijde jaren tachtig, waarin het spoor van een aantal artiesten uit de golden sixties vaak warrelig werd.  ‘Lennon’ was vermoord, Zeppelin was gestopt na twee mindere lp’s en een toer naar Amerika die er niet kwam omwille van de dood van ‘John Bonham’. Muziekliefhebbers volgden nieuwe sporen: ‘U2’, ‘Pretenders’, ‘Talking Heads’ en dies meer.

Voor ons werd Beck herboren op Blues Peer op dezelfde dag waarop ‘John Mayal’ en ‘Roger McGuinn’ acte de présence gaven. Mayal viel tegen omdat hij meer de klavieren beroerde dan de snaren. Samen met  bassiste Tal Wilkenfeld speelde Beck er de pannen van de tent.  Enkele oudere blues-Peergangers vonden het iets minder. Te technisch vonden ze. Beck die tremelogewijs elke melodie uit zijn snarenplank haalt techniek verwijten is een understatement.

Een tweede keer zagen we hem aan het werk in de AB.  En recenter in het Koninklijk Circus met zanger ‘Jimmy Hall’ van ‘Wet Willie’. Maar liefst vier nummers van de Yardbirds passeerden de revue. Een vierde keer had nog makkelijk gekund, want Jeff Beck vertoonde geen tekenen van ouderdom: helaas het mag niet zijn…. precies op de verjaardag van Rod Stewart hield het leven op.

Enkele reacties van collega gitaristen, bijeengesprokkeld via sociale media.

Jimmy Page: ‘The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans.  Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.’

Eric Clapton: “Always and ever”……. ec

Paul Samwell-Smith: ‘ former bassist with the Yardbirds: “Jeff: What a genius. We wrote Shapes of Things together and Jeff had a blank sixteen bars for a solo in the middle of the song. He not only played an extraordinary solo, but he changed the nature of guitar playing ever after. Jeff was a lot of fun, and very naughty, in life and in music. What a great life he enjoyed.”’

Simon napier Bell: ‘…The thing that always surprised me  about Jeff was how little he chased the love of an audience. For performing artists that’s usually the primary purpose of being on stage. But Jeff got impatient when the audience applauded too much; he preferred to get on with the next number.   That’s not to say he didn’t need them; he did. He used the intensity of their expectation to create a fantasy cocoon for himself onstage, where he hid in full view, just him and his guitar, lost in his feelings or thoughts. Or sometimes, perhaps, just testing the limits of his technique. Whichever it was, he always ‘played’ rather than ‘performed’. And although  he needed the audience to push him to his greatest moments, he was never really looking for their approval.  That  what made him different from every other artist I ever managed.  And he was by far my favourite of all of them.’

Rod Stewart: ‘Jeff Beck was on another planet . He took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since . He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond . Jeff, you were the greatest, my man . Thank you for everything . RIP’

Ronnie Wood:  ‘Now Jeff has gone, I feel like one of my band of brothers has left this world, and I’m going to dearly miss him. I’m sending much sympathy to Sandra, his family, and all who loved him. I want to thank him for all our early days together in the Jeff Beck Group, conquering America for the first time. Musically, we were breaking all the rules, it was fantastic, groundbreaking rock ’n’ roll! Listen to the incredible track ‘Plynth’ in his honour. Jeff, I will always love you. God bless’

Tal Wilkenfeld: ‘Jeff Beck’s light and power were so strong I was convinced we’d be goofing around and making music until the day I leave this planet. He was forever youthful, fueled so deeply by the muse that basic necessities were last on his list. “Are you hungry, Jeff?” “Oh no, I had a huge muffin yesterday!” We lost our favorite guitarist, and we also lost one of the most intelligent, intuitive, hilarious people I’ve ever met. Jeff, thank you for believing in me before anyone else did. You stood behind me and told everyone to take me seriously. You treated me like a daughter to the point where Wikipedia actually thought that was true. Actually, I did too.’

Imelda May: ‘Jeff Beck Rules Forever. Jeff will be in my heart for the rest of my life. I loved him dearly. He was family. He changed my life all those years ago when we first met and he showed me the world, his magical world.  I found in him a kindred spirit, someone I felt at ease and totally myself with but also someone I looked up to and was thrilled to impress.  He inspired, supported, and encouraged me with every whoop, cheer, gasp and tear when I sang with him whether on stage, studio or sitting in his kitchen or mine.  He was the genius in the room yet he made everyone else around him feel special.  We talked for hours and celebrated often I ran to him and Sandra each time I needed saving. And how they saved me. His enthusiasm for life was immense. He was full of fun, excitement, wit, plans, laughter, brilliance, creativity, love, heart!  This world class coolest motherfucker somehow kept the boy in him alive, the obsessed boy in the bedroom that couldn’t leave a guitar out of his hands was always there. He was dedicated to making pure art. He was responsible for many bands, collaborations and influenced so many by creating his own sound that will outlive us all but he was still creating, still challenging himself, always innovative and pushing boundaries with every album he made.  Each solo he played could perfectly swing from classical to rock, jazz to Middle Eastern, badass to tender.  He was one of a kind that was and never will be again. Every single note he played could kill me with its beauty.  His light was so blindingly bright it already feels so dark without him. The greatest guitarist that ever lived. The finest friend you could wish for. Thank you Jeff Beck. All my love is with the love of his life Sandra and all those of us who miss him dearly

PP Arnold: ‘Rest in Peace and Power Jeff Beck Beautiful Soul . I first met Jeff Beck as an Ikette with the Ike and Tina Turner review on the 1966 Rolling Stones tour. The Yardbirds were also opening acts on that tour. Our paths crossed many times in those heady days of the mid-sixties and not only was he a great gifted guitarist he was such a lovely, very cool, kind guy. I never got an opportunity to record with him directly, but we both featured on Roger Water´s beautiful Amused to death album on the inspirational track ´What God Wants, God Gets´. The last time I saw him, was at The Royal Festival Hall where he shared the bill with Roger. He did a blinding set on his own and invited Roger back on stage to do What God Wants, God Gets. I was fortunate to be on that stage that evening. He was on fire  Remembering that performance sends goosebumps down my spine and both of my arms. Afterwards, at the hotel, we all spent an enjoyable evening and he reminisced with me about the past.

David Gilmour: ‘I am devastated to hear the news of the death of my friend and hero Jeff Beck, whose music has thrilled and inspired me and countless others for so many years.  Polly‘s and my thoughts go out to his lovely wife Sandra.  He will be forever in our hearts.’

Ritchie Blackmore Official Site: ‘First met Jeff Beck around 64-65 and it was a session where we were both playing guitars and Jimmy Page was producing. I couldn’t believe how incredible he was, not only with his technique but his sound too. I became a fan of his ever since. He could reach up into the stars and make magic with his playing. His choice of notes were always absolutely perfect. This whole thing is a shock. We shall always remember Jeff as the best rock and roll player.’

Steve winwood: ‘“Jeff Beck was a brilliant and unique musician who managed to sustain his presence as an outstanding guitarist throughout all of his career, from the mid-sixties to the present time. His guitar style utilised many differing techniques and styles. He was a leader and an innovator, and he will be sadly missed.” – SW’

Dave Mason: ‘Never had the pleasure to meet or play with him but I am very sad to learn we just lost one of contemporary music’s greatest guitar players. God Speed Jeff Beck.’

Martin Barre: ‘I am so saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jeff Beck. Our paths only crossed a few times, but my admiration of his unique talent was always a part of my musical upbringing. He occupied a huge space in the world of guitar playing, and no one will ever fill that void.  Martin,’

Jack Bruce: ‘We are so saddened by this news. RIP one of the greats, Jeff Beck The Bruce family would like to extend our sincere love and condolences to Jeff’s family, friends and fans around the world. What an incredible legacy. Here are a couple of photos of Jack and Jeff together, not so long ago’

John Mayall: ‘Very sad news about Jeff Beck passing this week. He was certainly one of the very best at his craft, leaving large shoes to fill. Heartfelt condolences to family and friends.’

John McLaughlin: ‘You are the Greatest!! I Love you forever!! RIP’

Al Di Meola: ‘ Horrible news! Rest in Peace, Jeff Beck! I remember growing up with Truth and Beck-Ola. Great ! Later years between 76-79 I loved when Jeff came to my Hammersmith Odeon shows when I played London ! There was no one like Jeff! He had the most unique style In a very prestigious category ! I can’t believe this!!! Sad Day!’

Tony Iommi: ‘I was totally shocked to hear the very sad news of Jeff Beck’s passing.  Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player – there will never be another Jeff Beck. His playing was very special and distinctively brilliant!!! He will surely be missed.  R.I.P Jeff. Tony

Paul McCartney: ‘I was so saddened to hear that Jeff Beck had died. Jeff Beck was a lovely man with a wicked sense of humour who played some of the best guitar music ever to come out of Great Britain. He was a superb technician and could strip down his guitar and put it back together again in time for the show.  His unique style of playing was something that no one could match, and I will always remember the great times we had together. He would come over to dinner at our place or he and his wife, Sandra, would host an evening at their house.  Jeff had immaculate taste in most things and was an expert at rebuilding his collection of cars. His no nonsense attitude to the music business was always so refreshing and I will cherish forever the moments we spent together.  Jeff Beck has left the building and it is a lonelier place without him.  God bless Jeff and his family. Love Paul’

Robert Plant: ‘  This is tragic news.. Hard to take in.. Jeff always appeared timeless, ever evolving .. He embraced project after project with limitless energy and enthusiasm.. He surfaced in an extraordinary time..he took his place side by side with the virtuosos of the period .. his mates .. The scene was on fire, he introduced a cool template moving from Yardbird to Bolero to Truth, Beck Ola with Rod the perfect foil…the singer and guitarist syndrome..plenty of sparks…great results…  He cooked up magic through all the passing eras, always up for the next, unknown, unlikely collision, back in time to homage Cliff Gallup, forward to Johnny Depp. His gift was enormous. He was funny, challenging and eager. My feelings are with Sandra today.. RP

Paul Rodgers Official: ‘Jeff was in touch with something other worldly when he played and was in a league of his own. On the ‘Truth’ album Jeff and Rod Stewart set the bar for the next 50 years of rock & roll. Beyond sad to lose him from this world, but he left us the gift of his music forever. RIP my friend. Deep condolences to Sandra, family, friends and fans. – Paul’

Donovan: ‘ Oh Darling Jeff.. I always remember our times together  See you down the road  This one’s for you Maestro ! Donovan’

Joe Bonamassa: ‘ To say we are all devastated by this news is an understatement. I simply cannot get my head around it. Rest in peace Jeff. The greatest that ever touched a guitar.

Joe Perry:  ‘Jeff Beck was the Salvador Dali of guitar, to see him play was to hear the ultimate 6 string alchemist create magic in a world of its own. With his passing, the world is a poorer place. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Sandra. We share your sorrow.’

Warren Haynes: ‘I’m devastated. People ask me a lot “who’s your favorite living guitarist?” and the answer would always have to be Jeff Beck. So much so that I’ve always made a point of being careful not to listen to him too much for fear of wanting to imitate him. I was lucky, thanks to my older brothers, to have discovered Beck at a very early age, even before I started playing guitar. He was ferocious — not just inventive, but totally unique. Nobody played like that. I loved everything he did. All the “guitar heroes” back then were thrust into recording at an early age so we could hear tremendous growth in a lot of cases from album to album, year to year, but with Jeff Beck even more so. So, now when someone asks me “Who’s your favorite guitarist — living or dead?” I will say what I always say: “I can’t answer that.” But my very short list will include Jeff. There will never be another Jeff Beck. RIP.’

Stevie Van Zandt: ‘”RIP Jeff Beck. Having trouble processing this. Not only was he a major influence, and his genius an infinite source of joy my entire lifetime, he was in great spirits when we spoke a few weeks ago having done a flawless show with Johnny the night before at the Capitol. Unreal.” – SVZ’

Jack White: ‘ “Jeff Beck, guitar innovator extraordinaire has moved to the next realm. I wrote to him a couple of years ago to show him that I was standing where he once stood inside Sam Phillips studio in Memphis some 50 odd years before. He was amazingly kind and instructional to me over the years. Many shows that I’ve played began moments after listening to his song “Led Boots” backstage. This bootleg clip that I’m posting is when I had one of the greatest thrills of my life, along with Meg White and Jack Lawrence of the Greenhornes, we were “the yardbirds” for one night backing up Jeff at the Royal Festival Hall in London. In our rehearsals he plugged straight into an amp, no effects pedals. He was changing the sound of the guitar and doing things people didn’t know were possible from his earliest days on stage. God Bless you Jeff, you must already be chatting with Cliff Gallup somewhere.” -Jack White III’

Simon Phillips Music: ‘Woke up yesterday to the sad news that Jeff had “left the building”. I can’t believe it! At my first meeting with him he had to wipe his hands on his jeans before shaking my hand – it was covered with oil from working on one of his rods. His guitars were scattered all over a sofa in his music room and if you picked up one and “played” it for a couple of minutes you would have to wash your hands because of the oil encrusted around the frets. I once asked him why he didn’t play the newer guitars he had. He said they were too easy – he preferred to work hard at playing! One time we flew back to Heathrow from JFK after some rehearsals with Mick Jagger and HM customs pulled us over. Many questions were asked and while the officer went to speak to her superior Jeff opened his case, picked up his Strat, sat on the metal bench and started playing. Even without any amplification he sounded so beautiful and as other travelers walked by they did a double take! It was hilarious! I don’t remember where this shot was taken but it would have been on the There & Back tour in 1980. The World has lost one of the greatest guitarists ever. It was an honor to play all that music with you Jeff. Bon voyage – RIP.’

Billy F Gibbons: ‘I met Jeff Beck when I was 17 and I was glad to know a guy like that, a guy who was able to show me how this guitar playing thing should be approached and that’s still very much the case. Jeff was a wondrous soul and we already miss him tremendously. We are comforted in the fact that he’ll be with us forever. Hi Ho Silver Lining!’

Joe Satriani: ‘Jeff Beck was a genius, a stunning original. He was an astounding guitar player with more ways to make you go, “WTF was that?” than anybody else. He was profoundly talented, and never stopped innovating on the instrument. He had an enormous impact on my guitar playing, my musicianship and my soul. When I was a beginner, I would spend hours trying to jam along with his solo albums. I found his approach to the instrument so inspiring. I was fascinated with his unusual arrangements and his aggressive guitar tones. He always stood out as a unique player: He was always, purely “Jeff Beck”.  His solo albums were all groundbreaking, “ahead of their time”, and paved the way for me and so many other guitarists around the world. And they were fun to listen to, over and over again. I had the pleasure of saying hello to Jeff a few times, once when Chickenfoot went to see him play at the Fox Theater in Oakland, and a second time when we were all playing at the BosPop Festival in The Netherlands. We all had a fun jam backstage that day. Unfortunately, I didn’t ever get to really know him. I hope he knew how much I admired, revered and respected him. When I finish writing this I will go and listen to Jeff’s “Where Were You” a few times and thank him for giving us so much beautiful music. My deepest condolences to his family and close friends. R.I.P. Jeff’

Chrissie Hynde: ‘Still reeling over his sudden departure. I loved him since I was 14. Sadly, he couldn’t influence my primitive skills on guitar – but my hair style was all his. I fucking loved him!!!! JEFF!!!’

Graham Bonnet : ‘ Hey everybody! I wasn’t going to post about Jeff Beck as so many already have. I’ve only actually met him on one occasion but over the past couple of days, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the profound loss to the world of music. Jeff was so innovative, a true musical genius. No one sounded like or could sound like Jeff. He was so unique. I remember as a young man hearing the Yardbirds on the radio and wondering how he was able to get those sounds. I tried to imitate what he played on my Hofner but it just didn’t sound the same. I knew he was playing a telecaster and I thought if I had a Telecaster I could sound like he did. I went to our local music store and got a hold of a Telecaster and attempted it again. It sounded nothing like Jeff and I realized, it wasn’t the guitar, it was his technique. I was in awe of him from that moment forward. Imagine my delight when years later, he came to see his old pal Cozy Powell from the Jeff Beck Group and turned up backstage at our show in Brighton. We had a brief, friendly conversation and later that evening, Cozy told me that Jeff said “I want to steal your singer.” I was so flattered! Ritchie said to Jeff (and I’m paraphrasing here) “I’m glad that I didn’t know you were in attendance tonight or I could have quite possibly cocked it up.” The whole band thought he was just the greatest. There isn’t much more I could say that hasn’t already been said but I’m so sad wondering how much more incredible music could have come from those hands, that soul.  It’s not a great photo but this is a pic from that actual evening.’

Jimi Hendrix: ‘Experience Hendrix and the family of Jimi Hendrix are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our good friend, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. Amongst the pantheon of the world’s great guitarists—Jeff Beck’s influential style incorporated rock, jazz and blues alongside unparalleled improvisational talents that made him a prominent figure as a member of The Yardbirds, Beck Bogert & Appice. The Jeff Beck group, and throughout his multi-decade solo career along with special projects such as recent collaborations with Johnny Depp.

Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck jammed together a couple of times in 1968 and that admiration continued through to this day. Beck once acknowledged that the guitar riffs on “Scared for the Children” were inspired by Hendrix, saying “I’ve never loved Hendrix more than I do now. Ever since I learned the chords to ‘Little Wing,’ nobody can shut me up.”

George Thorogood & The Destroyers: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jeff Beck, one of the greatest ever. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends.’

The Who: ‘So sad to hear of the passing of Jeff Beck. Pete and Roger pay their respects to a good friend. Read their comments on www.thewho.com’

The New York Times: ‘Jeff Beck, one of the most skilled, admired, and influential guitarists in rock history, died on Tuesday at 78. His stinging licks and darting leads on songs added an expansive element to music that helped signal the emerging psychedelic rock revolution. Read his NYT obituary: https://nyti.ms/3IIpFdI’

PETA UK: ‘Jeff Beck was vegetarian for more than 50 years and used his platform to call for the King’s Guard’s bearskin caps to be replaced with faux fur. Many will remember him as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. We will also remember him as an unwavering friend to animals.’

Wat de Belgen er over dachten:

Ik peilde naar enkele reacties bij wat oudere Belgische gitaristen, en vroeg aan ‘Jean Van der Schueren’, ‘Kloot Perwez’,’ William Souffreau’, ‘Eddy Piens’, ‘Walter De Berlangeer’, ‘Wouter Mattelin’ en ‘Top Topham’: ‘Wat denken Belgische gitaristen over het overlijden van Jeff Beck.’

Reacties waren er vanwege:

Jean Van der Schueren: ‘Jeff Beck was oa.mijn voorbeeld bij Irish Coffee! Zijn warme melodieuze vibrerende zanglijnen op de Stratocaster zullen altijd mijn geliefkoosde voorbeeld blijven ! Wat een gevoelige snaar die hij wist te raken ..vol van melodieuze speurtochten in zijn knappe improvisatie tochten ! (Hartje)

Kloot Perwez: ‘van de drie ex yardbirden was hij de meest technische en misschien ook de origineelste. Maar desalnietemin heeft hij nooit het commeciele succes  van de anderen kunnen aanhouden, mss was hij te puur. Enn toch ook een beetje neigend naar jazzigheid. Truth en Beck Ola waren uitstekende platen. Beck Bogert and Appice was zijn cream. Zijn tijd met Micky Most en een ietwat commercièlere richting boeiden me minder. Hij werd meer en meer een musicians musician gespecilaliseerd in serieus tremolo arm gebruik en net geen fusion. En dan plots kwam zijn Blue Caps tribute rockabillyplaat. Ik onhou Beck vooral voor It Ain’t Superstitious en merkwaardig, Superstition.En ik klasseer hem lager dan Hendrix hoger dan Clapton.

Eddy Piens: ‘Heb maar een woord Eddy het is de gitarist van God’

De Berlangeer Walter: ‘Goeienavond Eddy, eerst en vooral was ik geschokt door zijn plotse overlijden, je wil dat zulke gitaargoden onsterfelijk blijven. Ik volgde hem vooral in zijn Yardbirds periode en zijn begin 70’s Jeff Beck Group LP’s zoals Truth (1968) Rough and Ready (1971) Blow by Blow (1975) Wired (1976) daarna kwam ik in het progwereldje terecht (knipoogje). Ik ga me Jeff Beck herinneren om zijn uniek gitaarspel, buitenaards en onvervangbaar zowel in het rock, soul, blues, als jazz genre. Ik zag hem het laatst in 2014 in de AB Brussel…maar hij laat ons tenminste achter met de beelden van zijn ultieme Live At Ronnie Scotts concert met Tal Wilkenfeld. (gitaartje).’

Nieuwsblad.be: ‘Hij liet zijn vingers verzekeren voor 10 miljoen dollar. Maar vooral zijn contactenlijst was onbetaalbaar.’

Martin Pulaski intussen zelf overleden RIP: ‘Jeff Beck heeft ons voorgoed verlaten. Hoewel we in de jaren zestig korte metten maakten met helden van allerlei slag was Jeff Beck voor ons een ware held. Een gitaarheld, een echte enkeling, iemand met stijl, iemand met wie wij ons konden identificeren. Zijn eerste solo-elpee Truth (1968), met Rod Stewart als zanger en Ron Wood op bas, draaiden wij opnieuw en opnieuw. Jarenlang was Shapes Of Things (1966) van the Yardbirds, mogelijk de allereerste psychedelische ‘commerciële rocksong’, de favoriete single in mijn collectie. Jeff Beck is dood, zijn muziek leeft.’

Van Willim Souffreau en Top Topham kreeg ik geen reactie, om begrijpelijke reden.

(*) https://blog.sadeler.be/2016/10/23/jeff-beck-153/