There will never be another original like Johnny!
Memory Pain by Johnny Winter from Second Winter, 1969.
Johnny Winter 1944-2014
July 21st, 2014 § Comments Off on Johnny Winter 1944-2014 § permalink
Floating on an Ocean with Robert Sarzo!
July 7th, 2014 § Comments Off on Floating on an Ocean with Robert Sarzo! § permalink
Happy Birthday U.S.A.! The Fourth of July was a blast!
Last year at this time I was in the Hampton’s recovering from a mild concussion, recieved during a tennis lesson on a clay court. I tripped running backwards! Ouch!
This year we were invited to our local and very historic marina to hang with the Sarzo’s on their yacht. Robert plays guitar in Hurricane and in Queensryche!
We went for an inflatable dinghy ride in the main channel of the harbour. I tweeted this photo of me and Robert at sea!
Along with friends “magic bus” Alex, on keys and loops, and fellow sailor Robert, on snare and cymbal, the three of them serenaded the entire marina, throughout one of the biggest fireworks displays on the west coast of the United States, and well on into the night, all performed on the upper deck of the Sarzo yacht.
Band on the helm!
Alice in Buttonville
July 7th, 2014 § Comments Off on Alice in Buttonville § permalink
Such a huge influence on me they were; Dee Long of Klaatu, and Dick Wagner, and Bob Ezrin, and Alice Cooper himself!
And both Lisa Dalbello, and Karen Hendricks, sang background vocals. And much more, that I have forgotten, of course!
Here is the iTunes page to preview the songs from Alice Cooper’s Dada album, recorded at ESP Studios in Buttonville in 1982:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dada/id215649497
Classic!
My hole-in-one!
July 6th, 2014 § Comments Off on My hole-in-one! § permalink
As the historian of Rancho Park Golf Club, it was my great pleasure to score a hole in one on Rancho’s 65th Birthday (July 3)!
“I don’t want any of you to hear the wrong story, it was just bloody lucky!”
July 3, 2014 - John Jones hole in one at Rancho Park, Los Angeles
166 yards according to David Akhavi’s “range finder”. The wind was swirling. Both green’s of Rancho’s 16th are uphill from the tee. The right green is protected by trees on the right, and runs in the direction of the shot, so it’s very hard to get the distance and the line.
I took my 1992 Bullet .444 Invincible II blade 5 iron, and aimed straight at the flag. There was a reaction from the 13th fairway when it disappeared from my view. I thought it was right at it, and the perfect length and trajectory to land at the hole. But a player on the 12th tee said they heard the ball hit the flag, or the hole, and go in. David drove up to the green and declared it a hole-in-one!
I used a #3 Titleist Pro V1 X, with the remains of a Welsh dragon and my JJ initials, on it. I have used this same ball for my last three tournaments. Time to retire it!
My hole in one Titleist Pro V1 X golf ball!
Love is Strange! Wings
July 6th, 2014 § Comments Off on Love is Strange! Wings § permalink
Love is Strange has some history. They say the song is based on a Jody Williams guitar riff from 1956.
Mickey and Sylvia released it first, but Bo Diddley recorded it earlier. See it on Wikipedia!
Paul McCartney and Wings from Wildlife, an album that was recorded in a week in 1971 to catch the magic!
Happy Monty Dominion Day Canada!
July 1st, 2014 § Comments Off on Happy Monty Dominion Day Canada! § permalink
To all my friends and family in Canada, Happy Canada Day from Monty Python!
Season 1. Episode 1. Filmed in September 1969. Aired October, 1969. Aired in Canada autumn, 1970. Aired in the U.S.A., summer 1974.
Re-Connecting with Gerald O’Brien in the 21st Century
June 18th, 2014 § Comments Off on Re-Connecting with Gerald O’Brien in the 21st Century § permalink
Back in the day, when time moved slowly, Gerald O’Brien was one of my super talented friends in Toronto. And he still is a great keyboard player, and composer, and songwriter, and one who I looked up to in those olden days, and who I learned a lot from!
Gerald joins my blogroll of friends on my p-log.
Here is music, with photos and some video from his fantastic 1970’s band NIGHTWINDS! Produced by Dee Long & Terry Draper!
House of Scottish Blues
June 17th, 2014 § Comments Off on House of Scottish Blues § permalink
Terry McDermott, who we have always known, is the VOICE, stopped in our town for a show last Friday, while on tour with the fantastic Miggs!
They played at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip, with Terry opening the show with John Luzzi on guitar! Fortunately we had the super talented DZR to keep us on the straight and narrow!
Terry is graciously going to sing a song for the Meninos Do Morumbi project for Music is Hope Foundation!
John Luzzi of Miggs, with Terry McDermott, performing at HOB, West Hollywood
Bob Clearmountain & Chris Lord-Alge at Apogee
June 17th, 2014 § Comments Off on Bob Clearmountain & Chris Lord-Alge at Apogee § permalink
I went to Apogee Digital in Santa Monica last week to hear Bob Clearmountain and Chris Lord-Alge talk about mixing and recording music, in a special event put on by Vintage King.
Behind me is the recording studio’s control room, with it’s lovely NEVE desk, where Bob mixes the live KCRW concerts. The event will be on-line at some point.
John Jones and the Neve, with Bob and Chris on stage in the background
Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Rehearsal
June 17th, 2014 § Comments Off on Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Rehearsal § permalink
I was dreaming of the past…
The Freddie Mercury Concert For AIDS Awareness
Thanks to humans only having two hands, I was able to help keyboard ace Spike Edney, by climbing through the choir, to get to the Hammond B3, and hold the opening note for Liza Minelli, only letting go at the ultimate moment, her ‘spot’, the one that we rehearsed at Bray Studios in Berkshire, U.K.
I found this link to a Backstage video of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, that includes the musicians arriving in their cars for rehearsal. Who was that in the blue Aston? Did Elton drive his black Turbo Bentley? It looks live George Michael drove his.
I remember being terrified when I got to rehearsal! I was pretty much the only person that no one knew (although no one knew Nick Faldo either). The band were Roger Taylor, Brian May, John Deacon, and Spike Edney. Queen were playing their songs with the many guest singers, who were coming and going through the day. Queen were going to be everyones back up band! And Freddie was going to be everywhere.
I had my camera with me, but they stopped me after a few pictures. I was taking one of George Michael, who was singing his ass off with the band, when his large assistant grabbed my Minolta 7000i, and pushed it off the shot. No photos!
Later when he saw me playing with Liza, George was nice to me, so I forgave him. It was an amazing scene.
Spike Edney at the keys during rehearsal 1992 – the 1st photo!
Here is a fresh link to a video of Queen and Liza Minelli performing We Are The Champions in the finale of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at Wembley, on April 20, 1992, with me guesting on organ.