Biography
Max Middleton earned his primary renown for serving as pianist in the second and most commercially triumphant incarnation of the Jeff Beck Group. Although schooled in classical technique, he maintained a deep passion for jazz and had previously performed in Flare alongside Trinidad-born bassist Clive Chaman. Their introduction to Beck occurred during spring 1971, when the guitarist, while assembling his new band that already included Chaman, concluded a keyboardist was required. At age twenty, Middleton ranked among the youngest musicians active in the early-1970s blues-rock circuit; that youth, joined with his jazz commitment, soon established him as a central figure in Beck’s ensemble. His jazz-informed piano ranked among the most effective innovations on the Rough and Ready album, and on the subsequent Jeff Beck Group release he contributed the notable instrumental “Definitely Maybe.” He alone continued from the second Jeff Beck Group into the third configuration, the precursor to Beck, Bogert & Appice, yet departed before the trio advanced far into its brief association. After a stint with Gonzales, he returned to Beck in 1974, accompanied soon afterward by additional Gonzales members, to record the all-instrumental Blow By Blow, which became Beck’s highest-selling album and reached number four on the U.S. charts. Middleton added clavinette to the follow-up Wired before ending his collaboration with the guitarist.
Following his tenure with Beck, Middleton’s schedule intensified markedly through the later 1970s. He joined the Hummingbirds with former Jeff Beck Group and Flare colleagues Bob Tench and Clive Chaman, recorded sessions for artists ranging from Pete Brown to Kate Bush, and maintained an extended partnership with Chris Rea across the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, his most widely recognized work remains the material created with Jeff Beck. Beck himself identified Middleton as his most important collaborator during the guitarist’s peak commercial years, noting that the pianist’s command of jazz harmony compelled the blues-rock virtuoso to explore fresh musical avenues.
Following his tenure with Beck, Middleton’s schedule intensified markedly through the later 1970s. He joined the Hummingbirds with former Jeff Beck Group and Flare colleagues Bob Tench and Clive Chaman, recorded sessions for artists ranging from Pete Brown to Kate Bush, and maintained an extended partnership with Chris Rea across the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, his most widely recognized work remains the material created with Jeff Beck. Beck himself identified Middleton as his most important collaborator during the guitarist’s peak commercial years, noting that the pianist’s command of jazz harmony compelled the blues-rock virtuoso to explore fresh musical avenues.