Jeff Beck has gathered some of the world`s best musicians for his touring band for the upcoming Australian visit.
Narada Michael Walden,, who first played with Beck back in 1976 on the ‘Wired’ album is on drums. Rhonda Smith who has worked with Justin Timberlake and Beyonce is on bass and Jason Rebello, who has played with Sting and Chaka Khan is on keyboards.Beck talked to Undercover about his A-Team.
“Michael Narada Walden has proven himself as a producer but what surprised me was that he played with so much energy and so much spot on timing,” he tells undercover.com.au. “He must have been playing every single day since I knew him back in 1975 / 1976. More precisely, through being a record producer his timing is so much better than it was. His general approach to this band is nothing more than highly desirable. He is almost the leader. He drives everybody hard. He is the first one to do anything. He is a very sensitive player”.
Walden and Beck go back 35-years. “When I called him he asked why it took me 35-years to ask,” Beck said.
Jeff recalled their early days saying, “He had a band in South San Francisco and I saw him advertised in small gigs when I was driving up. I thought things mustn’t have been going well for him. The next thing you know he was producing Aretha Franklin”.
“Rhonda Smith came out of the blue. Narada recommended her. I spoke to her on the phone and she just sounded right from the beginning. I flew out and within a week we had a full-blown rehearsal that went really good.
“Jason Rebello, he his great. His knowledge of chords is fantastic. He does get a little jazzy sometimes and I have to say something. He has started to read me more clearly now after this album and we have had our difference of opinion on certain things. That’s how things get sorted out”.
Jeff Beck will perform at Bluesfest over the Easter long weekend and also perform the following shows around Australia:
March 25, Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre
March 26, Melbourne, The Palais
March 30, Sydney, The Enmore
April 1, Brisbane, The Tivoli
