John Paul Jones |
 |
|
Fri. October 29.1999 10:06 PM EDT |
||
Ex-Zeppelin Bassist Breaks New Ground In Solo ShowJohn Paul Jones leads trio in new music and reworkings of pioneering metal outfit's classics. by Contributing Editor Richard B. Simon |
||||
|
||||
 |
John Paul Jones played a variety of custom-built instruments. (Mark McKenna) |
|
||
SAN FRANCISCO — Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones
was left out of the recent collaborations of former bandmates Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant, but he took the proto-metal band's legendary blues-based
rock to another level
Emulating Plant's vocals, playing Page-like slide guitar riffs and using a variety of custom-built instruments — including electric bass mandolin, bass lap steel (a hybrid of pedal steel and electric bass), keyboards and 4-, 10- and 12-string basses — Jones (born John Baldwin) convinced the crowd he could do just fine without the help of his former bandmates. "John Paul Jones is still breaking new ground," concert-goer Bill Hallam, 30, of San Jose, Calif., said. "He's still progressing, pushing the limits, like Zeppelin used to do. I feel the Page and Plant stuff [embraces] what Zeppelin was, [while] Jones is embracing more of the essence." On his first-ever solo tour, Jones, 53, played instrumental tunes from his debut solo album, Zooma, and a few Zeppelin classics from the bass player's point of view. He turned in hard-jamming renditions of Zeppelin's "Black Dog," "Trampled Underfoot," "No Quarter" and "When the Levee Breaks," alongside his own deep-grooved prog-rock, blues and jazz. The bassist's power trio included relative youngsters Terl Bryant on drums and Nick Beggs on the Chapman Stick — an unusual 10-stringed instrument that is mostly neck. In fact, Beggs had two Sticks, one for high-register playing, the other to handle the low register. Jones has worked with a varied array of artists, including punk rockers the Butthole Surfers and art-rock icon Brian Eno. He recorded and toured with avant-garde singer Diamanda Galas in 1994. But this was the first time Jones took a band of his own on the road. Jones took his time mounting the stage when the house lights dimmed, allowing tension to build in a crowd that, for the most part, did not know what to expect. Appearing first on 10-string bass, Jones opened with the title track from Zooma (RealAudio excerpt). The bassist's head bobbed and weaved as the band fired out a high-octane groove. While Jones thundered, Beggs — wearing a black tunic — slid searing chords down the neck of the Stick, creating an ambient, techno feel reminiscent of a videogame soundtrack. On "Goose," Jones set up a heavy bass groove, then Beggs picked it up on his bottom-end Stick, sounding like a synth didgeridoo, while Jones switched to bass lap steel, making the instrument scream and howl as he slid up and down the neck. Bryant drove the steady beat home. Jones strummed Keith Richards–style rock chords on the bass during "Grind," while Beggs wailed on the Stick, unleashing sustained, soaring swells. The bassist grinned widely as the band dug in. Bringing out the bass mandolin — a full-size electric bass with the body shape and eight-string configuration of a mandolin — Jones introduced his instrument builder, Hugh Manson, who stood backstage. "He indulges my passion for inventing instruments with the name 'bass' in them," Jones said. Many of Jones' instruments featured the bassist's propeller-like symbol (as seen on the cover of Led Zeppelin IV) in the design. "OK, come with me back through the mists of time, [to] when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Come back with me," Jones said, stepping to the keyboard to begin the acid-rock, overdriven "No Quarter" (RealAudio excerpt), from Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti (1975). Beggs played guitar and bass parts on the Stick, while Jones played jazzy electric-piano riffs on the keys. Jones' right hand spun out bebop melodies while his left hand struck dissonant midrange chords. The bassist played the melody usually sung by Plant, then Beggs and Bryant drove the song's mind-melting refrain home. Appearing delighted to be onstage, Jones bowed and thanked the audience repeatedly. Jones opened the second set alone, playing a triple-necked acoustic guitar — a combination of 12-string bass, six-string guitar and mandolin. He picked a deep blues and then segued into a country-flavored stomp. He sampled the groove on the 12-string, and while that played back, he chopped some rhythmic bursts on the mandolin neck. Sampling that, too, he switched to soloing on the six-string neck. On Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," Jones played the song's melody on the lap steel using a shredding slide-guitar tone, and Beggs played the bassline. On "Black Dog," from Led Zeppelin IV, all three musicians crunched in unison, and the audience sang Plant's "Ah, ah, ah" lyrics before Jones led the band in a show-closing bow. "I missed Robert Plant's voice, but this is exciting in a very different way. It wasn't as nostalgic," said concert-goer Debbie Lerman, 44, who saw Page and Plant play in 1998. "[Jones] was having such a great time onstage. I mean, this is a guy who is set for life, he doesn't have to do this, and he looked like he was having the time of his life, playing music again." Led Zeppelin emerged in 1969 in the wake of the British electric blues movement exemplified by such bands as the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds (with whom guitarist Page had played) and Cream. With such early songs as "Communication Breakdown" (RealAudio excerpt) and their later epic "Stairway to Heaven," Zeppelin became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, exerting an influence on myriad later heavy-metal, hardcore punk, thrash-metal and speed-metal bands as well as the satirical band Spinal Tap. Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  |
 |
Zeppelin Bassist Finishes Second Solo Record |
|
Ex–Led Zep Bassist John Paul Jones To Tour U.S. For First Solo Disc |
|
Led Zeppelin Bassist Announces Album, Tour |
 |
 |
 |
|
Receive Free Music News Daily Via Email |
|
Receive Free Artist Updates Via Email for John Paul Jones |
|
All news for John Paul Jones |
|
Breaking Music News |
 |
Add VH1 News to My Yahoo |
|
