First Studio Album in Seven Years

The Guitar Legend Explores Classical on Eclectic Album

Including Tracks With Grammy®-Winner Joss Stone and Imelda May

Album Available from Rhino, April 12th 2010

The greatest guitarist in rock and one the most revered musicians on the planet returns with his first album in 7 years, Emotion & Commotion.

Jeff Beck has signed to Rhino records for the release. The album is produced by Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn, features original instrumentals and compositions, rock and soul collaborations with Joss Stone and Imelda May and tracks with a 64 piece orchestra.

The legendary musician’s lifelong sonic adventure has taken him from 1960s guitar hero with the Yardbirds, to heavy rock pioneer with the Jeff Beck Group to jazz, funk, instrumental and vocal albums. The Grammy Awards recently honoured him with his 5th Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for his track ‘A Day In The Life’ from last year’s album ‘Performing This Week…Live At Ronnie Scott’s’.

Throughout his career, when everyone else has turned right, Jeff Beck has turned left and Emotion & Commotion represents another innovative move from one of the most original artists in rock and a guitarist like no other.

To complement the innovative tones he coaxes from his guitar, Beck recorded with the orchestra on songs that range from Puccini’s immortal aria “Nessun Dorma”, as well as “Elegy For Dunkirk” from the film Atonement to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz and Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of “Corpus Christi Carol.”

In addition to the orchestral pieces, Emotion & Commotion showcases a number of original compositions. For “Hammerhead,” Beck fires the rocker’s opening salvo through his wah-wah pedal before falling into a deep groove carved out by the rhythm section and horn arrangement. At the opposite end of the sonic spectrum, the airy arrangement that elevates “Never Alone” provides a wide-angle soundscape for Beck’s imagination to freely explore the high-flying melody.

Beck says the idea of pairing his guitar with an orchestra evolved from the version of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 he recorded a few years ago. “It turned out amazingly well, but I didn’t want to commit to an entire album of classical music. What appealed to me instead was the idea of bringing together these seemingly contradictory sounds on different kinds of non-classical music.”

It was not all classical however. On their breathtaking interpretation of “Put A Spell On You” Beck’s sublime guitar duets and dovetails seamlessly with Joss Stone’s unique vocal.

Beck recorded Emotion & Commotion late last year at Trevor Horn’s Sarm Studios in London with the award-winning producers. To create the album’s diverse sound, Beck used a number of musicians, including appearances by frequent collaborators Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Jason Rebello (keyboards), and Tal Wilkenfeld (bass). The album also includes contributions from a trio of singers: Imelda May (“Lilac Wine”), Olivia Safe (“Elegy For Dunkirk”) and Grammy-winner Joss Stone (“I Put A Spell On You” and “There’s No Other Me”).

For Beck, the new album and 2010’s world tour follows in the wake of a triumphant 2009 – his most successful year ever. Among the many highlights were a sold-out world tour; his second induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the release of the platinum-selling Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott’s, which earned a Grammy nomination for “A Day In The Life”; and magnificent performances with his band at the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden.

Before launching a world tour to support Emotion & Commotion, Beck will unite with Eric Clapton in February for a series of exclusive shows in London, New York City, Toronto and Montreal. The guitarists – both former members of the Yardbirds – will play separately before taking the stage to perform together.

After the shows with Clapton, Beck and his band will play South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and Japan before returning to the UK in October for the U.S. leg of the tour, starting mid April, and including an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival on May 1.

EMOTION & COMMOTION
Track Listing

1. “Corpus Christi”
2. “Hammerhead”
3. “Never Alone”
4. “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
5. “I Put A Spell On You” featuring Joss Stone
6. “Serene” featuring Olivia Safe
7. “Lilac Wine” featuring Imelda May
8. “Nessun Dorma”
9. “There’s No Other Me” featuring Joss Stone
10. “Elegy For Dunkirk” featuring Olivia Safe

Jeff Beck UKTour Dates (with Eric Clapton)
February
13 London O2 Arena
14 London O2 Arena

UK Tour Dates:
OCTOBER 2010 BOX OFFICE
Fri 15th Bournemouth BIC 0844 576 3000
Sat 16th Brighton Centre 0844 847 1515
Sun 17th Birmingham Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333
Wed 20th Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 0844 395 4000
Thu 21st Manchester Apollo 08444 777 677
Fri 22nd Sheffield City Hall 0114 2789 789
Sun 24th Bristol Colston Hall 0117 922 3686
Mon 25th Cardiff St David’s Hall 02920 878 444
Tue 26th London Royal Albert Hall 020 7589 8212

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