My teenage bandmate Ken Basman playing the kind of music we were learning and listening to, over 40 years ago, playing with Gabriel Peña…
Stella By Starlight – Ken Basman
September 12th, 2014 § Comments Off on Stella By Starlight – Ken Basman § permalink
Little Neutrino – Randy Cooke Drums Transcribed!
September 10th, 2014 § Comments Off on Little Neutrino – Randy Cooke Drums Transcribed! § permalink
Randy Cooke’s drum part in Dee Long’s awesome remake of Little Neutrino has been transcribed!
Play along with Randy!
Bernie Grundman Mastering
September 3rd, 2014 § Comments Off on Bernie Grundman Mastering § permalink
The Music is Hope Foundation’s next release for Meninos do Morumbi and Friends with Julian Lennon, was mastered by the amazing Bernie Grundman, at his beautiful Mastering Studio in Hollywood, this week.
Also at the session were mixer; Skip Saylor, and MIHF manager Richard Martinez.

Richard Martinez, Skip Saylor, Bernie Grundman and John Jones
Summertime Mixing with Saylor & Blanch for M.I.H.F.
August 30th, 2014 § Comments Off on Summertime Mixing with Saylor & Blanch for M.I.H.F. § permalink
“The qualifications of a successful sound mixer represent a unique and rare combination of skills. He must be adequately, technically oriented, understand and evaluate the performance of the various electronic and acoustical devices with which he works. He must have sufficient musical aptitude to interpret the wishes of the arranger/ conductor. He must be creatively artistic, imaginative, have a flair for showmanship, be willing to try the impossible, and have the ambidexterity of an octopus. He must have the unique talent of being able to communicate with artists and directors at any artistic level and to perform his functions deftly under extreme pressure. Above all, he must have the patience of Job.” – Bill Putnam (J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 37, No. 9, 1989 September)

Richard Martinez, John Jones, Ian Blanch, Skip Saylor
Another fantastic mixing session in the Valley at Skip Saylor studio, for the soon to be released, Meninos do Morumbi & Friends single, by Music is Hope Foundation!
Home Studio Update
August 27th, 2014 § Comments Off on Home Studio Update § permalink
I have had a lot of turmoil lately, due mostly to having to empty my storage garage in Burbank, and then the arrival of some new and better equipment (from Kevin Carmony), including an excellent new table and chair for my studio!

Leaner and cleaner JJ studio control center
Skip and Nick
August 19th, 2014 § Comments Off on Skip and Nick § permalink
Off we went to Rancho Encino for a mixing session with Skip Saylor over the weekend!
Skip and Ian, and the studio, and the Rancho, and the Thai restaurant Mustang, and the exceptional facilities, paled in comparison to the great sound they gave to Nick Wood‘s music!
We’re almost ready for mastering!
Biscuit’s Boogie
August 1st, 2014 § Comments Off on Biscuit’s Boogie § permalink
King Biscuit Boy and Crowbar; LIVE!
Johnny Winter 1944-2014
July 21st, 2014 § Comments Off on Johnny Winter 1944-2014 § permalink
There will never be another original like Johnny!
Memory Pain by Johnny Winter from Second Winter, 1969.
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!