Rock 'n' Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul (Blu-ray Disc, 2011)

A year after Les Paul's death, Jeff Beck saluted the guitar pioneer by staging a rousing tribute show to the great man at Paul's regular stomping ground, the Iridium Jazz Club. Backed by his current running mates the Imelda May Band, Beck enlisted some heavy-hitters for help -- Brian Setzer comes in for the rock & roll, Trombone Shorty for the jazz, Gary U.S. Bonds sings some oldies -- all the better to get the party started. Despite its title, Rock 'N' Roll Party skews ever so slightly to the old-fashioned swing and standards that were Paul's specialty and with the notable exception of tightly wound versions of "The Train Kept A Rollin'" and "Twenty Flight Rock," even the rockers feel closer to jump blues than rockabilly. And that's fine: a tribute to Les Paul's music shouldn't be greasy, it should be a jumping, joyous blast of nostalgia, which is precisely what this party is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, This musical release captures a concert held at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City by legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, in honor of guitar legend Les Paul. Joined by artists like Imelda May and Brian Setzer, Beck blazes through tunes like "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise", "I'm a Fool to Care", and more.