The jazz world is full of jazz snobs -- that is, myopic, narrow-minded people who only care about straight-ahead jazz and believe that rock, R&B, country, reggae, dance-pop, folk, and hip-hop have no right to exist. But
Joe Beck isn't one of them; he's an admirably versatile guitarist who has crossed paths with everyone from
Gene "Jug" Ammons to
Frank Sinatra to disco-soul goddess
Gloria Gaynor. Unfortunately,
Beck has spent so much time backing others that his own catalog isn't as large as it should be, but he still has a lot to be proud of -- and this 2002 release is an appealing addition to his résumé. A generally straight-ahead jazz effort (with some fusion moves here and there),
Just Friends finds a 57-year-old
Beck in a trio with bassist
Mark Egan and drummer
Danny Gottlieb and paying a lot of attention to well-known standards. One could complain about the abundance of warhorses that have been beaten to death over the years -- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," "There Will Never Be Another You,"
Cole Porter's "I Love You," and the title track are great songs, but how many more versions do jazz enthusiasts need to hear in the 21st century? That said,
Beck's playing is focused and inspired throughout the CD. You might think that
Just Friends (which also contains three
Beck originals) pays too much attention to overdone warhorses, but damned if
Beck doesn't play the hell out of them. And the fact that he enjoys an obviously strong rapport with
Egan and
Gottlieb is also a plus.
Just Friends falls short of essential, but it's still a solid -- if conventional -- outing for the veteran jazz guitarist. ~ Alex Henderson