Ex-Zeppelin member back
By Daniel Oliveira
Daily Forty-Niner
While Led Zeppelin rests in its grave,
John Paul Jones, the band's former bassist-keyboardist, continues exploring
his musical talent. After a long hiatus from music making, Jones has returned
with his first solo album, "Zooma."
A step from Led Zeppelin's raw rock 'n'
roll, "Zooma" features bass-oriented hard rock songs. Jones said he wanted
to play instrumental music to have full songwriting control.
"I knew that if I brought a singer, I would
start producing his record," he said. "I would make sure that he sounded
great, and I would forget about my music."
Jones released "Zooma" 19 years after Led
Zeppelin's split. This goes against the trend of musicians who usually
begin solo careers right after their bands break up.
"After being in the best band in the world,
I didn't wanna be in another for a while," he said. "I wanted to spend
more time with my family and then do some more production and arranging."
Jones said his desire to play live inspired
him to write his album. In 1994, he toured with avant-garde composer Diamanda
Galás. This experience brought him the feeling of being on stage
again and as a result, he built a studio and recorded "Zooma" to have a
reason to tour on his own.
"As a musician, I know that I need to play
live," Jones said. "The stage is different from the studio because of the
feedback from the people you can see."
Jones has just finished an American and
European tour to promote "Zooma." Performing live with a drummer and a
chapman stick player, he said he has had tremendous receptions from fans
in many shows.
"They really wanted to listen to what I'm
doing," he said. "I'm enjoying myself - this is what I wanted to do. It's
really easy to tour when everybody is in the same direction."
Indeed, hundreds of fans clapped their
hands and screamed loud for Jones in a recent show in Los Angeles. One
audience member was so moved during Jones' instrumental version of the
Led Zeppelin classic "When the Levee Breaks," that he had tears in his
eyes.
Although Jones plays some Led Zeppelin
songs live, he does not like nostalgia. He said his former band does not
reunite, because he, singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page don't
want to live in the past.
"I love and am very proud of Led Zeppelin's
music, but I don't want to play it for the rest of my life," he said. "I
did it then and want to keep going forward."
Despite Jones' wish to look forward, his
record company has been using the label "former Led Zeppelin bassist-keyboardist"
in ads and press releases to promote "Zooma."
The bassist said he does not mind the assimilation,
because it gives his fans a chance to know about his solo career.
"The point is that people will notice it
more," he said. "I want to do a lot of press, because I want people to
at least know what I'm doing." |
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