FT.com / Special Reports - Still a player: guitar legend Jeff Beck

Still a player: guitar legend Jeff Beck

Guitar legend: Jeff Beck

By Stephen Wilmot

Published: September 30 2010 18:01 | Last updated: September 30 2010 18:01

Most musicians are known for a particular sound, style or song. But not rock guitar legend Jeff Beck, who says the secret of his staying power has been the ability to “move on to something else”. It’s a journey that has taken him – via rock, heavy metal, jazz and soul – to his current world tour, backed by a full string orchestra.

“I’m at home with anything that’s got a groove to it,” says the ex-Yardbirds guitarist, pointing to a DVD he is making in tribute to legendary guitarist Les Paul and 1950s jazz. “I get just as much of a kick from that as I do coming up with something from tomorrow-land.”

But Beck’s taste for experimentation does not stretch to his finances – something in which he claims to have no interest but just a little “intuition”. He was almost persuaded to buy a portfolio of shares just before the financial crisis; luckily, he decided at the last minute not to sign. “It was a near-miss for me. But I said no, because I wasn’t satisfied with – or didn’t understand – what was being proposed. When people talk bank-talk, I glaze over after five minutes,” he admits.

Beck now uses the London-based private bank Duncan Lawrie, mainly because it offers a reassuringly old-fashioned experience. Lamenting the passing of the days when “you could almost have a pint with your local bank manager”, he remembers how he and his former concert manager grew frustrated with the impersonal service and “incompetence” of their high street bank. After doing research, manager settled on Duncan Lawrie and suggested Beck switch too.

“I felt nervous at first, because I didn’t really know whether I was making the right decision. But I’ve no complaints. It’s so important to have a one-to-one talk with someone at your bank. They’re handling your money, after all. You go around the world and make your money, and you want to be sure it’s being looked after.”

Beck is currently on the second leg of his world tour. He is still basking in the success of his latest album, Emotion & Commotion, which was released in April and is now up for eight Grammys. He says it is the best response that he has received since 1975, when he teamed up with Beatles producer George Martin to make the album Blow by Blow.

Fans have been particularly struck by Beck’s lush use of strings as backing for his electric guitar. “There’s no substitute for a full string orchestra,” he explains. “I was fulfilling a dream – I wanted to do it back in 1966, but couldn’t afford it. I was always impressed by people like Tina Turner and the way that kind of record was produced. It’s a beautiful sound that can only be achieved with acoustic instruments.”

Beck is also pleased with the popularity of Emotion & Commotion because singers, not instrumentalists, tend to dominate the charts. The guitarist has been wary of working too closely with singers ever since he parted ways with Rod Stewart – then the unknown lead singer of his up-and-coming band the Jeff Beck Group – back in 1969.

“Rod was a bit of a problem because his name wasn’t on the ticket, and the whole ego thing kicked off. I said if you put your name on the ticket you won’t sell any seats, but he wasn’t happy being treated as a sideman,” Beck laughs.

Stewart left to join the group the Faces, which seemed a career upset for Beck, but turned out to be liberating. “The singer problem was gone when Rod left. Rather than see that as negative, I thought: the doors are open.” He says it was working with the New York jazz-rock group Mahavishnu Orchestra in the mid-1970s that made him realise there was “life after singers”.

Beck considers the US his second home. He cites American rock and roll, blues and jazz as his original creative sources, and the US still gives him the warmest reception. It was there he spent a year in tax exile in 1977, which ironically was to pay for his English home – an Elizabethan manor house in the Sussex Weald that he fell in love with on first viewing.

“It was complete lunacy, as I didn’t know if I had the money. But when the estate agents opened the door I just wanted them gone,” he reminisces, grateful that his home turned out to be a good investment too.

Beck struggles to single out one highlight of his career, which has spanned four and a half decades and at least 10 different groups. “The big highlight is that I’m still in the business,” he says with another raucous laugh.

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Taking your time in Geneva - The Irish Times - Sat, Nov 13, 2010

Taking your time in Geneva

Sat, Nov 13, 2010
The Swiss city is expensive to visit but don’t let that put you off – you get what you pay for, writes Adrienne Cullen
AS YOU MIGHT expect from Switzerland, Geneva is living proof that quality of life doesn’t come cheap. While it has an almost permanent presence in the world’s top five most attractive cities, you’ll usually find it in the top five most expensive as well.
Don’t let that put you off though. Again as you might expect, you get what you pay for – in this case the buzz of a global financial centre, the sophistication of a city that’s home to a telephone book full of international organisations, and a whole lot of local history, colour, and charm as well.
Plus, you’re in the home of high-end watches. That means you get to use as many watch, clock and time-related puns and references as possible during your stay. Hey, watch it! Just a second! This transport system runs like clockwork. That chimes with me. Don’t be alarmed . . . you get the picture.
Geneva is all about its physical setting. In the background there’s the awe-inspiring vista of the snow-covered Alps, with Mont Blanc visible on a clear day. In the foreground there’s the glamorous waterfront of Lake Geneva. So not surprising-ly, the big leisure time pursuits here are sailing and skiing – sometimes both in one day.

Cohabitation et tolérance : La singularité et l'exception marocaines exaltées à Londres

Cohabitation et tolérance

La singularité et l'exception marocaines exaltées à Londres

Publié le : 11.11.2010 | 17h26

Le modèle marocain singulier s'impose dans un monde en proie aux turbulences et aux divisions, dixit le président du Musée juif de Londres. La vocation du Maroc en tant que havre de paix et terre de rencontres a été saluée à Londres à l'occasion de l'exposition «Morocco», organisée dans la capitale britannique par le musée juif de Londres en partenariat avec la Moroccan-British Society (MBS), que préside l'ambassadeur du Maroc en Grande-Bretagne, Chrifa Lalla Joumala Alaoui. La cérémonie d'inauguration de cette grandiose manifestation a été l'occasion pour de nombreuses personnalités d'exprimer leur reconnaissance au Royaume, pays qui a su depuis plusieurs siècles donner l'exemple en matière de pluralisme et de cohabitation entre les différentes cultures et religions. «Le Maroc a été, depuis des centaines d'années, un modèle de coexistence entre les adeptes des différentes religions dans un cadre marqué par le respect des valeurs de chaque communauté», a déclaré à la MAP, Lord Young, président du musée juif de Londres et Conseiller du Premier ministre britannique, David Cameron. «Ce modèle marocain singulier s'impose dans un monde en proie aux turbulences et aux divisions», a dit Lord Young, émettant le souhait de voir les autres pays suivre l'exemple de l'exception marocaine. Lord Young a tenu à souligner le rôle important que le Maroc a depuis toujours joué pour la promotion des valeurs de tolérance et pour trouver un règlement juste et durable au conflit du Moyen-Orient. Par ailleurs, Lord Young a exprimé sa gratitude à la MBS pour son partenariat et son soutien pour l'organisation de l'exposition. Rappelant que la MBS œuvre pour le renforcement des relations d'amitié et de coopération privilégiées entre le Maroc et la Grande-Bretagne, il s'est dit convaincu que la grande contribution apportée par la MBS pour la tenue de l'exposition ne manquera pas de renforcer davantage ces relations. La présence des juifs au Maroc date depuis plus de 2.000 ans, a-t-il dit, soulignant que l'exposition «Morocco» offre l'occasion propice pour rendre un hommage appuyé au Maroc, un pays où la cohabitation entre musul Lord Young a également tenu à rendre un vibrant hommage à feu S.M. Mohammed V pour la sollicitude que le défunt Souverain accordait à ses sujets de confession juive. L'exposition de Londres vise à la fois à promouvoir la diversité de la communauté juive et renforcer les relations de dialogue et de coexistence entre les différentes cultures et religions, a-t-il encore dit. Même son de cloche chez Claire Spencer, qui dirige le département Moyen-Orient/Afrique du Nord à l'Institut Royal des Affaires Internationales (Chatham House, basé à Londres), qui a relevé que l'exposition offre l'occasion de mettre en relief la place du Maroc en tant que «référence clef» en matière de relations entre différentes communautés. «Nous sommes ici pour célébrer les aspects et les dimensions culturels du Maroc au Royaume-Uni, loin de toute considération d'ordre idéologique», a-t-elle dit. De son côté, Sydney Assor, membre éminent de la communauté juive marocaine en Grande-Bretagne, a rendu hommage à l'ambassadeur du Maroc en Grande-Bretagne pour les efforts inlassables qu'elle ne cesse de déployer pour la promotion de l'image authentique du Maroc en tant que terre de paix et de rencontres. «C'est grâce à vos efforts que le public britannique aura l'occasion de découvrir la culture juive du Maroc, vieille de plusieurs siècles», a-t-il dit, réitérant l'attachement indéfectible de la communauté juive marocaine à la mère patrie et au glorieux Trône alaouite. L'exposition «Morocco», qui durera jusqu'au 6 mars 2011, représente un véritable voyage dans le temps, mettant en relief la richesse de la civilisation du Maroc et la splendeur de ses valeurs intrinsèques de tolérance et de respect de l'autre. A travers une collection de 74 photographies inédites, prises durant les années 40 et 50 par Elias Harrus, Marocain de confession juive, le visiteur découvre la vie quotidienne des juifs de l'Atlas et du sud du Maroc et leur interaction avec leurs concitoyens musulmans dans un environnement empreint de quiétude et d'enrichissement mutuel. Ces photos sont d'une importance particulière du fait que cette communauté juive a, depuis, virtuellement disparu des montagnes de l'Atlas et du sud du Maroc pour s'installer dans les grandes villes du Royaume ou immigrer à l'étranger, estime la directrice du musée juif, Rickie Burman. L'exposition comprend également des photos captées par Pauline Prior qui a revisité, à la demande du musée juif d'Amsterdam, les mêmes lieux que Harus pour transposer ce qui reste du patrimoine juif au Maroc. Le musée juif expose également des costumes traditionnels portés ou confectionnés par des juifs marocains ainsi qu'une collection de bijoux. A signaler que cet événement phare vient rappeler l'exposition exceptionnelle des textes et des livres saints des trois religions monothéistes, qui s'est tenue du 27 avril au 23 septembre 2007 au siège de la prestigieuse British Library (BL) à Londres. Tenue sous le Haut Patronage de S.M. le Roi Mohammed VI et de S.A.R. le Prince Philip, Duc d'Edimbourg, l'exposition avait réalisé un succès éclatant témoignant ainsi du rôle de premier plan que le Maroc joue dans le rapprochement entre les religions, les civilisations et les cultures. Un tel constat de succès a été souligné dans un rapport élaboré par la BL, qui a noté que l'exposition, a été l'événement le plus réussi jamais organisé par l'institution, attirant plus de 200.000 visiteurs durant cinq mois. Un sondage réalisé par l'Institut Mori a montré qu'une grande majorité des visiteurs de tout âge ont indiqué que cette exposition de portée universelle leur a permis de découvrir les multitudes de valeurs partagées par les trois religions monothéistes: l'Islam, le Christianisme et le Judaïsme. Convergence des civilisations «C'est un Maroc fort de sa diversité culturelle et riche de toutes ses histoires additionnées que l'Angleterre est invitée à découvrir», a déclaré à la MAP André Azoulay, conseiller de S.M. le Roi. «Espace privilégié de convergence des civilisations berbère, arabo-musulmane et juive, le Maroc a su résister aux mirages d'une histoire réécrite en fonction des aléas de l'instant», a dit M. Azoulay après avoir donné lecture du message adressé par S.M. le Roi Mohammed VI, que Dieu l'assiste, aux organisateurs de l'exposition sur le judaïsme marocain, inaugurée mercredi soir au siège du Musée juif de Londres. «Le message de S.M. le Roi donne sa juste mesure à la singularité, à la modernité et à la profondeur des choix faits par le Maroc pour résister aux tentations du repli», a ajouté le conseiller de S.M. le Roi, en mettant en relief la détermination des communautés juives marocaines, où qu'elles se trouvent, pour «afficher, promouvoir et protéger leurs racines marocaines et leur mobilisation effective aux côtés du Maroc». Par MAP

Cohabitation et tolérance : La singularité et l'exception marocaines exaltées à Londres

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Henry Ford and Air Conditioning

Ford, AC and the Jewish brothers

snopes.com: Henry Ford and Air Conditioning 

 

Variations: Different versions of this joke use a variety of Jewish-sounding last names for the brothers, including Katz, Rosenberg, and Goldberg.

Origins: This bit of humor is another well-traveled item that should be easily recognizable as a joke but is nonetheless frequently mailed to us for verification.

It was a sweltering August day in 1937 when the Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker. "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry."

Ford looked skeptical, but their threat to offer it to the competition kept his interest piqued. "We would like to demonstrate it to you in person."

After a little cajoling, they brought Mr. Ford outside and asked him to enter a black automobile parked in front of the building.

Hyman Cohen, the middle brother, opened the door of the car. "Please step inside, Mr. Ford."

"What!" shouted the tycoon, "Are you crazy? It must be two hundred degrees in that car!"

"It is," smiled the youngest brother, Max, "but sit down Mr. Ford, and push the white button."

Intrigued, Ford pushed the button. All of a sudden a whoosh of freezing air started blowing from vents all around the car, and within seconds the automobile was not only comfortable, it was quite cool.

"This is amazing!" exclaimed Ford. "How much do you want for the patent?"

Norman spoke up, "The price is one million dollars." Then he paused. "And there is something else: The name 'Cohen Brothers Air-Conditioning' must be stamped right next to the Ford logo!"

"Money is no problem," retorted Ford, "but no way will I have a Jewish name next to my logo on my cars!'

They haggled back and forth for a while and finally they settled. Five million dollars, but the Cohens' name would be left off. However, the first names of the Cohen brothers would be forever emblazoned upon the console of every Ford air conditioning system.

And that is why, even today, whenever you enter a Ford vehicle, you will see those three names clearly printed on the air conditioning control panel: NORM, HI and MAX

o BonusUndoubtedly the use of specific names and dates (somewhat unusual in this form of humor) misleads some readers into interpreting it as a real-life anecdote rather than a joke. More important, although the story requires no additional

explanation to be seen as funny, its key element is a historical context that may be lost on younger readers.

The missing context is that Henry Ford was a notorious anti-Semite who believed Jews were behind an international banking conspiracy intent upon seizing control of the world's financial systems and destroying American manufacturing. He devoted whole pages of his 1923 autobiography, My Life and Work, to disparaging Jews. He bought the Dearborn Independent in 1919 and turned that newspaper into an outlet for running full-length articles (and later whole issues) attacking the "Jewish banking conspiracy." He presumed the hoax booklet The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion — a forgery concocted to stir up hatred of Jews by furnishing proof that Jewish leaders were secretly planning to attain world domination — was real and serialized it in his newspaper, where installments were run for 91 weeks under the headline "The International Jew."

So, this joke is more than just a tale of three inventors who manage to cleverly sneak their names onto someone else's product; it's also a put-down of Henry Ford and his anti-Semitism. Not only do three Jewish inventors arrange a way to

display their names in every car produced by Ford despite his unyielding objections to placing "Jewish names" on his product, they manipulate him into agreeing to a quintupled price (a staggering $5 million) under the belief that his paying extra millions of dollars will keep their names off his automobiles.

Yet even minus the historical context of Henry Ford's feelings about Jews, the story works for the same reason the $250 cookie recipe legend does — at its heart, it's a tale of the little guy's successfully taking on the large corporation and winning. We like tales in which the underdog comes out on top because such stories leave open the possibility that maybe when it's our turn to go up against the big guys, we too might win. At the very least, such stories foster a sense of hope. In this case, that the underdogs succeed through a bit of sneakiness seems nothing but appropriate because we don't view them as having been fairly treated.

For the record, as far as we know the first American automobile in which factory- installed air conditioning was offered as an option was the 1940 Packard.

Last updated: 18 June 2010 The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/ford.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2010 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson. This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

Sources:

Brinkley, Douglas. Wheels for the World. New York: Viking, 2003. ISBN 0-670-03181-X (pp. 258-263).

Dickinson, Rachel. "A Cool History." The Christian Science Monitor. 6 August 2002