Jeff Beck@El Rey Theatre 04.22.09
By George W. Harris

Unlike Alexander The Great, who wept when he realized that there were no more worlds to conquer, iconic guitarist Jeff Beck revels in the joy of mastering the many styles of six string slinging that he’s encountered in his four-plus decades of playing. Like contemporary artists like Mike Stern, John Scofield and Bill Frisell, Beck has no problem mixing the roots of my styles of music into an exotic fruit bearing hybrid. On this night at the El Rey, backed by a versatile band (Jason Rebello/key, Tal Wilkenfeld/b, Vinnie Colaiuta/dr), Beck with his heart in 60s rock, took the packed theatre on a wide panoramic trip that showed how versatile the (literal) 60s rocker can be.

From the opening and anthematic “Beck’s Bolero” to the closing Beatles’ tune “A Day In The Life” Beck was in inspired form, mixing up his tunes between slow paced ballads like “Cause We Ended As Lovers” and cookers like “Space Boogie.” With his heart in the blues, he was able to use his indigo brush to perfection on Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” a s well as the funky Sly Stone “Take You Higher.” What was most impressive was his ability to still use dynamics to maximum effect, going from gentle single note affects to straight out rapid note bop runs. With an encore that included John Mayer joining in on a raucous version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression,” you couldn’t ask for a better evening of fret work. A night of bliss for Fender fans.