One of my biggest regrets was missing the chance to see him at a relatively smaller venue this past Fall. Wired and Blow-by-Blow were my college-era introduction to Jeff Beck. There was something in literally every song in those albums that totally captivated me. For me, the test is that virtually any of those songs that I listen to today immediately brings back great memories and the emotions that went along with them. I kind of forgot about him a little for a decade or two but was re-introduced around the time that I started playing guitar again about 12 years ago. At that point I began to really better appreciate his creativity and technical ability. Another key turning point was discovering the Live at Ronnie Scott's videos from his run there that he did about 10 years ago. Seeing him (albeit on video) in that small intimate setting with one of my all-time favorite drummers, Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Tal Wilkenfeld was nothing short of magical.
Combined with the fact that by all accounts he was a genuinely nice guy that cared first and foremost about the music and his audience with virtually no drama to distract from that, losing him really feels like a loss to me. I'm actually a little surprised at the reaction I had to the news.
I will be spending the evening wistfully listening to a couple of my favorite albums along with a glass of bourbon and some great memories.
For anyone who has not seen the Ronnie Scott's series, they are definitely worth the time on YouTube. This one makes me melt every time I see and hear it, not to mention Jeff's reaction to the bass solo. As Tim Pierce put it, Jeff Beck is the ultimate example of the argument that tone is in the fingers.