Watch Jeff Beck demonstrates his prowess with ‘Little Wing’ by Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck is rightly hailed as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. A total virtuoso on the guitar, his oeuvre is one of the most unique in rock ‘n’ roll, complete with many scintillating moments that range from ‘Beck’s Bolero’ to ‘Going Down’. Throughout his long career, he has invariably led by example, setting the standard high for all subsequent masters of the six-string.
Beck’s life is so storied that it seems almost unfathomable to the rest of us. In the 1960s, when he first broke through, he was hailed as one of London’s most promising guitarists, forming a sort of musical triumvirate alongside his friends Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Strangely, all three played in the British Invasion group The Yardbirds, with all doing their bit to advance the cause of rock ‘n’ roll during their respective tenures.
The story is a famous one. Beck joined the group after Eric Clapton left, with the Keith Relf-led band inviting him to enter the fold at the recommendation of Jimmy Page. Remarkably, Beck and Page were both briefly in the band at the same time, forming a guitar-playing partnership that was more electrifying than anything anyone had heard at the time. It says everything about his skill that he replaced the eminent Clapton at the suggestion of Page, meaning that even in the greenest days of his career, Beck’s prowess on the fretboard was clear to everybody.
Since then, Beck’s career has been nothing but consistent. Over the course of his six decades in the sun, he has worked with a host of musical icons that includes Kate Bush, David Bowie and Hans Zimmer. Reflecting the immense respect that Beck commands, in Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason’s autobiography, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, he claimed that after their founder Syd Barrett left, the band wanted Beck to replace him, but it never came to fruition because “none of us had the nerve to ask him.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of Jeff Beck’s career is the love he has for the late Jimi Hendrix, who is arguably the finest guitarist of all time. Once, when speaking to Rolling Stone, after comparisons were made between Beck’s track ‘Scared for the Children’ and the work of Hendrix, Beck disclosed that the riff was actually inspired by the Seattle musician’s song ‘Angel’.
He then proceeded to declare his lifelong love for Hendrix. “There’s no escape. I’ve never loved Hendrix more than I do now,” he explained. “Ever since I learned the chords to ‘Little Wing’, nobody can shut me up.”
Well, luckily for us, there is footage of Jeff Beck performing ‘Little Wing’ on the television programme Talks Music, and it is brilliant. After showcasing a small portion of the Julie London & Barney Kessel song ‘Cry Me A River’ and a segment of Hendrix’s ‘Catfish Blues’, he then gave a lengthier rendition of ‘Little Wing’, which left everyone gobsmacked. Utilising his classic finger-picking technique, he added power to the song whilst still retaining its smooth groove, a testament to his skill.
