JEFF BECK WITH THE JAN HAMMER GROUP: LIVE

When you wanted to hear a one-of-a-kind player at his peak with the best of his fusion ensembles doing the cream of his mid-70s output, this LP was great to have on hand. Jeff Beck never disappoints in concert, he was made to perform and to pull magic from his trusty weapon of choice, and this lively set shows that off. It's a shame more performance material was not produced by Mr. Beck and that such an inspired craftsman would have so little live documentation.

This features material from his classic "fusion" period in equal portions from the records Blow By Blow and Wired, with 'Scatterbrain', 'Blue Wind', and jazz-fusion favorite 'Freeway Jam' (wherein Beck and Hammer mimic and exchange the sounds of cars in traffic), as well as classics like 'She's a Woman'. All in all a very nice little taste of this heavy bluesman who played with jazzrock more than he actually played it, getting some of the best studio men behind him and knocking out the pyrotechnic candy over clever jazz-like stylings. Though not a classic, worth looking into if his studio records leave you drowsy. Both albums mentioned above as well as There and Back from 1980 are more progressive, but Jeff Beck plays the blues, man, and don't forget it.