Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie Review

On June 9, 2010, the legendary Les Paul would have celebrated his 95th birthday. To honor his memory, Jeff Beck and a host of special guests, amongst them Imelda May, Gary U.S. Bonds, Brian Setzer and Trombone Shorty, took the stage of New York City's Iridium Jazz Club and performed a selection of rock classics. They chose the Iridium because Paul played there every week for years.

If you do not know who Paul was and what he did for rock music, you should probably do a little bit of research to find out. While learning about his legacy, you'll get a pretty good idea what type of music Beck and his guests performed at the Iridium. (If you are expecting to hear something similar to Jeff Beck: Performing This Week... Live at Ronnie Scott's, then you are most likely going to be disappointed).

The performances are great, filled with terrific energy and passion, and though as usual Beck shines, the star of the night is May. She delivers top-notch renditions of "Poor Boy", "Cry Me A River", "My Baby Left Me", "High High The Moon", "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise", and "Vaya Con Dios" amongst others.

The entire show has a fantastic period feel. Obviously, the music has a lot to do with it, but the hair styles, the clothes, and the musicians' attitude are also right. I've seen a lot of tributes where various stars would gather to honor one of their own, but many of them would lack chemistry. This is certainly not the case here - the entire show is about chemistry (see "Please Mr. Jailer" and "The Girl Can't Help It").

Technically, Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul is a superbly executed project. Filmed in high-definition, the show looks and sounds great. Multiple strategically positioned cameras provide a variety of different looks at the small but elegant stage.

All in all, I approached Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul as a Beck fan, but I must admit that I am now a lot more interested in May's music. I already have her Love Tattoo CD coming in the mail and plan on seeing her performing live with Beck later this year. Here are their currently announced tour dates:

March 2011

24 9:30 Club Washington, D.C.
25 Keswick Theater Philadelphia, PA
26 The Wang Centre Boston, MA
28 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
29 State Theatre New Brunswick, NJ
31 Michigan Theatre Ann Arbor, MI

April 2011

1 Cadillac Palace Theatre Chicago, IL
4 Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX
5 Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theatre Austin, TX
8 Fox Theater Pomona, CA
9 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA

Jeff Beck and Imelda May

Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

As expected, this is yet another solid release from the Eagle Rock Entertainment team. The image quality is exceptionally strong - detail is excellent, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels consistent. The stage lighting is simple but effective; it is very easy to follow the musicians, and there are absolutely no shadow issues. Background noise is not an issue of concern; motion-judder is also handled very well. Finally, the camerawork is very effective, providing a variety of different looks at the small but elegant stage. For the record, I did not see any transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-Ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very good. The mixing, in particular, is excellent - there is very good balance between Imelda May and Gary U.S. Bonds' vocals and the various musicians that join Jeff Beck on the stage. Generally speaking, for a live club event the sound also has very pleasing fluidity. Additionally, there are no sudden audio dropouts or unusual overlappings. I also did not hear any (hollow) echo effects.

I tested a couple of different tracks with the LPCM 2.0 track and wasn't overly impressed with it. For example, the brass section comes off way too strong. Also, when May takes the stage, the band feels pushed back a bit. You could experiment with it, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is definitely the best option on this disc.

Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - Jeff Beck discusses Les Paul's legacy and the impact his music had on his career. In English, with optional English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian subtitles. (27 min, 1080i).

• Behind the Scenes - raw footage with excited fans waiting to get in the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, as well as staff workers getting the stage ready for the show. In English, with optional English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian subtitles. (19 min, 1080i).

• At Home With Jeff Beck And His Guitars - Jeff Beck shows some of his favorite guitars. In English, with optional English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian subtitles. (15 min, 480/60i).

• Jeff Beck and Les Paul Rock 'N' Roll Tonite - in English, not subtitled. (9 min, 480/60i).
  
  -- Blues Jam
  -- Back at the Chicken Shack

• Les Paul And His Little Black Box - (5 min, 480/60i).

Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have never before seen or heard Imelda May and her band perform, I strongly recommend that you at least find a way to rent Jeff Beck Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul. I guarantee you will like it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment, looks and sounds great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.