Max Middleton is best known as the pianist in the second, most successful version of Jeff Beck Group. Middleton was trained as a classical pianist but also possessed a strong affinity for jazz, and had played in a band called Flare with Trinidad-born bassist Clive Chaman. His hook up with Beck came about in the spring of 1971, while the guitarist was rehearsing the lineup of his reconstituted band (including Chaman) and decided that he needed a pianist. At 20, Middleton was one of the youngest players on the early-'70s blues-rock scene, and his youth, coupled with his devotion...