Jeff Beck/Rhonda Smith

Great musicians in Locarno!

Just listen to the music and read the article if you like.

https://youtu.be/i8pBvDY79b8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8pBvDY79b8&feature=related

The other day I saw Jeff Beck and Rhonda Smith, two powerful muscicians, in a concert in Locarno and was fascinated by them. They were the opening group of ZZ Top and I had never heard of them before and, therefore, wrongly thought that they were less good than the main stars, but I liked them even better.

In the meantime I’ve tried to find out more about Jeff  and Rhonda and saw that in the sixties, when he was hardly twenty, he even substituted Eric Clapton in the famous band “Yardbirds”. Jeff Beck seems to be one of the best guitarists worldwide. He is English or more precisely from Surrey and 66 years old.

Much of Beck’s recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sounds and his releases have spanned Genres ranging from  blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and most recently, an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Beck has earned wide critical praise; furthermore, he has received the the Grammy Award for the best Instrumental Performance five times. Although he has had two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not been able to establish and maintain a broad following or the sustained Commerce of many of his collaborators and bandmates.

About Jeff’s temperament

Stories about Beck’s temper began to circulate early on in his career. His perfection, coupled with the faulty equipment often in use during the 1960s, led to many stories about his willingness to take out frustrations on his equipment] The 1966 movie BLOWUP contains a scene where the Yardbirds perform “Stroll On” and Beck becomes so enraged by equipment problems that he smashes his guitar.

About Rhonda

She also is a very gifted musician and not only plays the bass in a technically brilliant way, but her voice provoked goose pimples in me. Rhonda is also a songwriter and worked with the legendary PRINCE. She plays the bass because of her brother who brought the instrument home when she was a girl and told her not to touch it. Rhonda was born in Halivax, Nova Scotia, the oldest black community in Canada. She plays blues-rock, jazz/funk and electrified funk and I don’t now what else!

Vocabulary explanations in German and Italian

1. wrongly(adv.) = erroneamente= fälschlicherweise (Adjektiv=wrong=erroneo=falsch)

2. worldwide= in tutto il mondo = weltweit

3. output = la produzione =  die Produktion

4. recently= ultimamente= unlängst

5. although= benche- obwohl (congiunzione/Konjunktion)

6. bandmates = colleghi di gruppoBandkollegen

7. willingness= la volontàder Wille

8. goose pimples=la  pelle d’oca=die  Gänsehaut

4 replies »

  1. Liebe Martina, als großer Fan von Jeff Beck seit den “Yardbirds” habe ich deinen Artikel natürlich sehr gern gelesen. Er bestätigt mir, dass Jeff zu den besten Gitarristen aller Zeiten gehört. Seine Fähigkeit, Emotionen durch seine Musik zu transportieren, ist einfach unvergleichlich.

    Besonders beeindruckt hat mich, dass er, so wie du es hier berichtest, während seines Konzertes in Locarno zu sammen mit Rhonda Smith das Publikum begeistert hat. Aber ich muss schon sagen, mein persönlicher Favorit unter seinen Songs, die natürlich alle fantastisch sind, bleibt „Heart Full Of Soul“. Die Melodie und die Art, wie er schon damals im Jahre 1965 die Gitarre spielte, berührt mich jedes Mal aufs Neue. Es ist erstaunlich, wie er es schafft, mit jedem Ton eine Geschichte zu erzählen… ( hör auch mal “Cause We`ve Ended As Lovers” an) .

    Für mich ist Jeff Beck ( R.I.P.) nicht nur ein fulminanter Musiker; sondern er ist ein wahrer Künstler, der mit und durch seine Gitarre zu uns spricht.

    Liebe Grüße und “Rock On”

    Rosie

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ich sehe, liebe Rosie, dass du ein richtiger Jeff Beck Fan bist! Ich weiss einfach, dass mich das Konzert damals 2010 in Locarno echt zum Schwitzen gebracht hat und ich total begeistert hat.
      Ich füge dir hier deinen Lieblingssong bei

      Du weisst, dass dieser geniale Musiker 2023 von uns gegangen ist?
      Der song, “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” höre ich auch heute noch gerne. Herzlichen Dank für deinen Tipp.
      Cari saluti Martina

      Liked by 1 person

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