Beck, a self-taught musician, left engineering to become a professional English player. He became one of Europe’s top studio and session pianists. He was able to work in many settings, alongside any instrumentalist or vocalist. His father was a violinist and Beck began his jazz career in London with various bands before joining Tubby Hayes, 1962. Beck was in the group for three years and made his first tour outside of England. He then started his own band. In the late 1960s, Beck’s trio was the main house band at Ronnie Scott’s club. Beck started recording albums and did studio work in 1967. From 1969 to 1972, he was a member of Phil Woods’ European Rhythm Machine. His strong playing and propulsion solos made him a powerful contrasting voice to Woods. The Machine toured America in 1971. Beck left to form Gyroscope the next year and reactivated his trio. In the early 1970s, he was part of the group Piano Conclave. However, he became a freelancer in 1974 and worked with stars such as Lena Horne (Gary Burton), Clark Terry, Charles Tolliver, Woods, and others. He also got involved in education, becoming co-organizer of the Treforest Summer School in 1978. from http://www.allmusic.com/
