Sourced from the original master tapes, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelityās 180g 33RPM LP of Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live presents this collaborative tour de force in audiophile quality for the first time. Clear, detailed, and dynamic, the collectible reissue places each of the five fabled instrumentalists ā Beck, Hammer, drummer Tony āThunderā Smith, bassist Fernando Saunders, violinist Steve Kindler ā in the positions that mirror where they played onstage during the 1976-77 tour.
Benefitting from the resultant three-dimensional soundstaging and black backgrounds, youāll not only hear but nearly see Beck center right; Hammer center left; Kindler right; and Smith and Saunders anchoring the middle. The quiet vinyl surfaces further contribute to the sonic realism, immediacy, and energy. Paramount to Beck and Hammer, tonalities are natural and balanced. MoFiās edition also restores and increases the emotionalism at hand. Concentrate on any passage, and youāll sense the camaraderie, spirit, and joyfulness shared by the quintet ā and communicated to the crowds. These guys love playing together, and it shows.
Itās one reason why Beck and company took great pains to ensure Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live wasnāt just another souvenir live recording. Along with producer/A&R icon Tom Werman, Beck auditioned tunes from multiple dates at Allen Toussaintās New Orleans studio. They selected what they believed met their elevated expectations of standout musicality and fidelity. A majority of the album stems from a particularly exceptional concert in Reading, Pennsylvania. Hammer then got involved with the project by mixing the record.
Dovetailing with the peak of jazz fusion, Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live brings full circle a fruitful period that began with Beckās acclaimed fourth studio LP, Wired, and continued with the extensive tour that inspired this album. The period witnessed Beck fly by the seat of his pants without a full-time band. Instead, he relied on solicitations from the dayās foremost musicians and risk-takers, creatives who were unafraid to challenge the status quo and come up with memorable fare on the spot.
That flair distinguishes the material here, all of which teems with scorching interplay, breakneck riffs,acrobatic rhythms, and one-of-a-kind synergy. Take the arresting introduction to āFreeway Jam,ā where Beckās guitar and Hammerās synthesizers converse and recreate a cacophony of honking horns before segueing with the contributions of their mates to conjure an unforgettable highway ride. Consider the interstellar futurism of āDarkness/Earth in Search of the Sun,ā radical reggae-laden revision of the Beatlesā āSheās a Woman,ā feisty zip of āScatterbrain,ā and full-tilt sail of āBlue Wind.ā All remarkable.
Beck and Hammer, Hammer and Beck ā each pushes the other, and each responds in kind. Let’s not forget the team of Saunders and Smith, which would go on to provide an unshakeable rhythm section for Lou Reed. If youāre a music lover who values musical wizardry and originality, not to mention sensational sonics, youāre not going to want to take this off your ātable.
Track Listing
- Freeway Jam
- Earth (Still our Only Home)
- She’s a Woman
- Full Moon Boogie
- Darkness/Earth in Search of the Sun
- Scatterbrain
- Blue Wind
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.