Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live seldom appears on lists of the greatest live albums of all time. Amid an age where it seems every hidden or overlooked gem has already been rediscovered, this 1977 set remains a well-kept secret - a record filled with virtuoso performances, tremendous chemistry, high-wire improvisations, and explosive jazz-rock combinations. No wonder many listeners who came upon the effort in the late ‘70s admit to wearing out multiple copies and standing in awe of its powers. Wait ’til they hear this version.
Benefitting from the resultant three-dimensional sound-staging and black backgrounds, you’ll not only hear but nearly see Beck centre 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. MoFi’s edition also restores and increases the emotionalism at hand. Concentrate on any passage, and you’ll sense the camaraderie, spirit, and joyfulness shared by the quintet - and communicated to the crowds. These guys love playing together, and it shows.
Dovetailing with the peak of jazz fusion, Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live brings full circle a fruitful period that began with Beck’s 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 day’s 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 “Freeway Jam,” where Beck’s guitar and Hammer’s synthesizers converse and recreate a cacophony of honking horns before seguing with the contributions of their mates to conjure an unforgettable highway ride. Consider the interstellar futurism of “Darkness/Earth in Search of the Sun,” radical reggae-laden revision of the Beatles’ “She’s a Woman,” feisty zip of “Scatterbrain,” and full-tilt sail of “Blue Wind.” All remarkable.
Beck and Hammer, Hammer and Beck - 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 you’re a music lover who values musical wizardry and originality, not to mention sensational sonics, you’re not going to want to take this off your turntable.
