Fresh from burning frets on the G3 reunion tour, Eric Johnson has joined forces with session great Michael Landau for a rich and soulful cover of Jeff Beck’s Freeway Jam.
The pair recently wrapped a four-date Tone-A-Rama tour, which played host to the improv-heavy jam that saw both Stratocaster masters tip their hats to the late Jeff Beck on the opening night at House of Blues, Dallas.
For the jam, Landau can be seen wielding what looks to be a Strat similar to his 1957 Custom Shop Master Built model. He starts the exchange by revving his whammy bar before rolling into short bursts of notes that balance between subtly discordant jazz and soulful blues.
They stutter and start, generating a palpable push and pull with Eric Johnson’s band, which features Keith Carlock (drums), Roscoe Beck (bass), and Sean Giddings (keys).
His hand, however, is never far from the whammy, as he makes his notes flutter with a real Beck-like panache throughout, occasionally pulling back to harmonize the track’s main motif.
Eric Johnson, meanwhile, gave the sky blue signature Strat that he used extensively on the G3 tour a rest and instead played a classic black-finished alternative. In contrast to Landau, his playing is far faster and characterized by a real fluidity as he storms across the full scope of his fretboard at dizzying speeds.
Unsurprisingly, the Beck tribute performance has gone down rather well with fans. “Monster lineup here!” writes on YouTube commenter. “Ok, THAT was really good,” offers another.
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While the G3 tour may now be history, Johnson has excited fans by saying that a live album is in the works.
Elsewhere, Landau has previously spoken about why he feels the Stratocaster – which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2024 – is the “ultimate couch guitar.”
He’s also spoken to Guitar World about recording guitar in front of David Gilmour – something you’d no doubt need nerves of steel to pull off.
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