JEFF BECK, a guitar innovator who was inducted into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME in 1992 as a member of the YARDBIRDS, and again in 2009 on his own, passed away yesterday at the age of 78 after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis.Considered one of rock’s true virtuosos and one of its most innovative instrumentalists, he is not just a rock guitarist, but incorporates elements of jazz and fusion both on his own and with collaborators such as JAN HAMMER. His rather quixotic career .