AES NY Convention Alerts: Leslie Ann Jones Lecture, Plus “Music of Star Wars”
As the air gets slightly crisper, the ides of the annual AES gathering are in the offing. As the 143rd International AES Convention approacheth (October 18-21 at the Jacob Javits Center), there should be plenty of programming to look forward to. Two lines item we’ll anticipate will feature the award-winning and highly renowned recording engineer and producer Leslie Ann Jones of Skywalker Sound.
On Day One she’ll deliver the Heyser Memorial Lecture, entitled “Paying Attention.” Jones’ talk will take attendees on a fascinating, educational and inspirational retrospective of the sessions leading to her vast discography and filmography, including those moments when focusing on the right detail has both sustained and enriched her storied career. The Heyser Memorial lecture will take place on the opening evening of the convention – October 18, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
First established in 1999 by the AES Technical Council and the Board of Governors in conjunction with the Richard Heyser Scholarship fund, the Heyser Lecture series, featured at each AES Convention, brings eminent individuals in audio engineering and related fields to speak on a relevant topic of choice. The Heyser Lecture is part of the Special Events schedule, open to all convention attendees.
Leslie Ann Jones will be at the center of two top Special Events at the 143rd AES.
In a cinematic double dose, Jones will also be featured during the 143rd International AES Convention in the special event presentation “Bearing Witness: The Music of Star Wars – Archiving Art and Technology,” on Day Two. According to the AES program, “When Sony Classics requested original vinyl masters for a new release of Star Wars soundtracks that started us on a mission to archive and preserve all the music of Star Wars. A tour of the Lucasfilm archives made us realize we were looking at a 40-year history of film scoring and at some point in the near future some of this material could not be played or accessed for reuse.
“We will discuss the format choice, transfer process, database creation, and editing process. The goal? …. how to future-proof accessibility of some of the greatest film music of all time.”
Leslie Ann Jones has been a recording and mixing engineer for over 35 years. Starting her career at ABC Recording Studios in Los Angeles in 1975, she moved to Northern California in 1978 to accept a staff position with David Rubinson and Fred Catero at the legendary Automatt Recording Studios. There she worked with such artists as Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin, Holly Near, Angela Bofill, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Carlos Santana and Narada Michael Walden, and started her film score mixing career with Apocalypse Now. From 1987 to 1997 she was a staff engineer at Capitol Studios, located in the historic Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood. She recorded projects with Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Michelle Shocked, BeBe & CeCe Winans, and Marcus Miller, as well as the scores for several feature films and television shows.
In February of 1997 she returned to Northern California to accept a position as Director of Music Recording and Scoring with Skywalker Sound, where she continues her engineering career recording and mixing music for records, films, video games, television, and commercials, and has further added Record Producer to her list of credits.
Jones has received four GRAMMY® Awards and has been nominated multiple times (in categories including Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical; and Best Surround Sound Album) and is a popular presenter, panelist and mentor at AES conventions and events. Additionally, she is a past Chair of The Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees. She serves on the Advisory Boards of Institute for Musical Arts, Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild) and is an Artistic Advisor to the new Technology and Applied Composition degree program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
AES New York 2017 will be co-located with the NAB Show New York 2017. Registration, at any level, for AES New York 2017 will give attendees access to the NAB Show New York exhibition floor and the content in the NAB Show New York’s Core Package (a $75 value). To register for the 143rd AES Convention visit aesshow.com.
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