For many guitar rock fans Jeff Beck's passing is much more than (another) death of a musician.
Even if he was not the most famous, well-known or colorful of guitarists, he certainly does not fall in importance from names like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Brian May or Slash.
Jeff Beck at one of his last performances, at the Helsinki Festival in Finland, in June 2022, photo: Reuters
In this sense, Beck, who passed away yesterday (Tuesday) at the age of 78, was more of a guitarist's guitarist.
Not necessarily a name that every music lover knows, but a piece of legend in the eyes of everyone who makes music, especially of the kind called "rock" that has already experienced better years.
And in those good years, the years of the guitar's rise to greatness, Jeff Beck was not only there - he also contributed a lot to shaping the image of the virtuoso guitarist.
Jeff Beck with his "Yardbirds" friends in a hotel in 1992 (archive), photo: AP
The boy, whose parents wanted him to play the piano (but were comforted by the fact that he plays the guitar not bad at all and that he doesn't steal from stores like his brat friends), became friends at an early age with Jimmy Page - who himself would become a musical legend in his lifetime.
But even before he did, Jimmy encouraged Beck to try to join the Yardbirds, who had just broken up with another guitar virtuoso named Eric Clapton, who had decided they were getting "too poppy" for him.
Later, Page himself will join the band.
It doesn't just happen that a musician is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
End of a legend: guitarist Jeff Beck dies at 78. Reuters
Even if at the moment the old institution feels somewhat outdated and archaic, it is still considered by practitioners in the field as a final stamp of approval for many years of excellence.
And Beck was one who excelled twice: he entered the hall both as a member of the Yardbirds and for his extensive solo career, which included collaborations with names such as Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood (who would later become a member of the Rolling Stones), and playing on albums by legends in the making such as Mick Jagger, Tina Turner , Kate Bush, Ozzy Osbourne, Syl and Duff McKagan, Guns N' Roses bassist (with whom he almost appeared in that famous concert in Paris that was broadcast live around the world and in Israel, if his eardrum had not been damaged during rehearsals for the song "Locomotive". At least the Their joint balance can be found online).
And that might have been Jeff Beck's big story.
A musician appreciated by all his colleagues, he played alongside all the greats and was invited to take part in the most legendary bands rock has ever known - but he preferred to join them in different projects rather than regularly, while continuing to do his own thing.
And by "his" I mean the development of the blues-rock sound, then a dive into the jazz and fusion category and a huge contribution to the design of American rock as we all know it.
He played on the soundtrack of the film "Days of Thunder" and is responsible for one of the most iconic guitar solos in history, when he teamed up with Jon Bon Jovi for the song "Blaze of Glory".
Even if the name "Jeff Beck" didn't say something to everyone, it's hard to find people who didn't know his work.
"The silent guitar virtuoso of rock" was eulogized by "Rolling Stone" magazine and it was accurate to describe who was there alongside the giants in his field.
His character is less extroverted than them, but no less talented.
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