Jeff Beck – Ina Bauer (Tarantura TCDJB-6-1,2)

 Ina Bauer (Tarantura TCDJB-6-1,2)

JCB Hall, Tokyo, Japan – April 10th, 2010

Disc 1 (76:55):  SE/That’ll Be The Day, SE, SE, SE, announcement, SE, announcement, SE, SE / announcement, SE, monitor check, announcement, SE, start, Eternity’s Breath, Stratus, Led Boots, Corpus Christi Carol, jam / Hammerhead, Mna Na Eireann

Disc 2 (78:21):  Thumpin’ And Pluckin’ (Rhonda Solo), People Get Ready, Rollin’ And Tumblin’, (vocals by Rhonda Smith), Never Alone, Big Block, Over The Rainbow, Blast From The East, Angel (Footsteps), Dirty Mind (vocals by Rhonda Smith), Drum Solo, Dirty Mind, Brush With The Blues, I Want To Take You Higher (vocals by Rhonda Smith and Narada Michael Walden), A Day In The Life, Band Introduction, encore #1 How High The Moon (vocals by Imelda May : recorded, rhythm guitar by Jason Rebello), Nessun Dorma, encore #2 Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, MC / Announcement

Jeff Beck’s visit to Japan for lasted for six days about a month after Emotion & Commotion was released.  His latest album is perhaps the most popular of his career debuting at #11 on the Billboard chart in the US and at #1 in Japan.  The first of the Tokyo shows was booked for the 3,100 capacity JCB Hall and the second two at the 5,000 capacity International Forum.

Ina Bauer is a two disc set containing an excellent audience recording of the April 10th JCB show.  This is from the taper who likes to capture everyting about any given concert, and for this he starts recording a good forty-five minutes before the start of the show capturing the announcements and music piped through the venue’s PA. 

The set starts off with three melodic older rockers, “Eternity’s Breath,” “Stratus” and “Led Boots” with Beck encouraging the audience to cheer in the pauses.  “Corpus Christi Carol” is the first song from the new CD to be played.  This is a cover of Benjamin Britten’s arrangement of the middle English hymn and is followed by “Hammerhead,” one of only two Beck originals on his latest album and sounding like a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

Rhonda Smith is given some space in the middle of the show with “Thumpin’ And Pluckin'” and with a cover of the blues standard “Rollin’ And Tumblin’.”

A cover of Sly And The Family Stone’s “I Want To Take You Higher” is an unexpected highlight.  The set ends with The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life.”  The first encore is “How High The Moon” and the cover of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (from the opera Turnadot) with the melodic “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” as the second and final encore of the night.

Ina Bauer is packaged in a gatefold glossy sleeve with various photos from the show.  There is a competing silver version of this show called Deep Emotionon no label.  But the sound quality and packaging of Tarantura makes this stand out as a great souvenir of Beck’s visit to Japan.