John Jones Music

Where did the time go? The 20th anniversary of the release of the Wedding Album by Duran Duran was today. It was certainly a milestone in my life. I love this album!

Reflections on Duran Duran’s the “Wedding Album” has thoughts from the band and friends including me.

There were so many side stories during the making of the album, I wouldn’t know where to begin. A lot of people’s lives changed during and after it. The forgotten heroes for me were Thomas Nordegg, Dee Long, Mark Dwyer, Nick Gatfield, Jim Fifield, Karen Hendrix and Paul Alexander Olejniczak.

I have started to scan my old negatives. (I actually used to take photos before I got my Olympus D-200!)

Here are a couple of photos taken with my Minolta 7000i of Privacy studio where we recorded the Wedding Album:

Duran Duran in the garden at Privacy.

John Jones in the office at Privacy

My old friend from across the pond had his photographs on display at the Morrison Hotel Gallery at the Sunset Marquis last Saturday night during this year’s massive Grammy party weekend!

I managed to make a mad John Cleese face for a snap with Julian for Wire Image, but we both rose to the challenge and had these alternative brief moments captured for posterity:

Julian Lennon & John Jones waiting for the punch line

Julian and John Idris

Jones, Wood & Wood

kim Crain, Nick & Norico, and Julian

Nick Wood at the Sunset Marquis for Julian Lennon's Photography Exhibition

Bond; John Jones was in the band.

Max, Kim and John

JJ and Tiffany

JJ and Richard at the Sunset Marquis

The Morrison Hotel sure know how to throw a great party! It was unbelievable to see so many old friends at the Sunset Marquis! There were hundreds of guests in the Gallery, the bar, around the pool, and in every walkway of the famed Rock and Roll hotel. Many more photos of the guests are at wireimage.

Hanging out with Micky Dolenz, and Mick Fleetwood manager Carl Stubner, and old colleague Walter Turbitt, and great friends Rich Gelles, Nick and Norico Wood and Julian Lennon was a special treat!

Somewhat emotional to me, I stayed at the Marquis, almost 20 years ago this coming March, on my first trip to Los Angeles with Grant Black. It was at the Marquis swimming pool that I was paid off by Chris Evans and later had a swim with Michael Palin.

Chris Evans and John Jones at the Sunset Marquis March 1993

John Jones, Carl Stubner, Rich Gelles, Norico & Kimberly at Sunset Marquis

Norico and Nick Wood

Nick Wood and Walter Turbitt

It certainly feels like music week in Los Angeles these days!

The first event last week was at the Village Studios in Santa Monica to celebrate the careers of Quincy Jones and Al Schmitt for the Producers & Engineers Wing of the Grammys. I didn’t manage to get a photo this year with Quincy, but a couple of years ago I got this one – Q and JJ

Quincy

John Jones and Al Schmitt

JJ and Ed Cherney

Frank Oglethorpe, Steve Churchyard and John Jones

The big Grammy we all want!

I went to Alan Sides’ Oceanway Recording Studios in Hollywood last week to listen to some Jack Puig mixes for the new Tetsuya Komuro album that Nick Wood is producing.

We also dropped off a new track that we are producing for Nick’s upcoming solo album.

Jack’s room is full of amazing gear:

Sweet little EMI console

John Jones and Jack Puig

Many years ago I mixed some Fleetwood Mac tracks on the Focusrite in this room:

Studio A at Oceanway Recording Studio Hollywood

Another great chance to hang out with like-minded music souls has come and gone at Anaheim, California with this years NAMM show. It was an exhibition for manufacturers from around the planet who make anything related to music or sound!

I wasn’t as organized this year as I have been in the past, so I only managed a few photos. It was a very busy show with great products all around. My personal favourite was the Peter Vogel Instruments Fairlight CMI-30A, 30th Anniversary Edition.

Just to sit down with one hand on the beautiful keyboard, and another holding the light-pen, was so powerful and spiritual. How could we ever let it go?

Jones Jones with the Fairlight CMI-30A at NAMM 2013 in Anaheim, CA. 

Steve Cooke and John Jones at NAMM 2013