LESLIE ANN JONES
AS SHE MOVES QUIETLY ACROSS THE HUGE SCORING STAGE AT SKYWALKER STUDIOS TOWARD THE LARGE, COMFORTABLE CONTROL ROOM THAT SITS BEHIND GLASS, IT’S OBVIOUS THAT LESLIE ANN JONES IS IN CHARGE. SHE WEARS NO BADGE THAT PROCLAIMS HER AUTHORITY, ALTHOUGH HER PROFESSIONAL TITLE IS IMPRESSIVE: “DIRECTOR OF MUSIC AND SCORING, MUSIC AND SCORING RECORDING ENGINEER AND MIXER.”1 NOR DOES SHE SPEAK IN A LARGE VOICE OR HIT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH HER FIVE GRAMMY AWARDS AND FOUR GRAMMY NOMINATIONS. BUT WHEN SHE TURNS FROM WATCHING THE 80' × 60' × 30' SCORING STAGE, WHICH HAS THE LOWEST NOISEFLOOR OF ANY STUDIO OF ITS SIZE, TO QUESTION THE IDENTITIES OF TWO WOMEN SHE’S NEVER SEEN BEFORE, HER VOICE IS CLEAR, CALM, AND NON-THREATENING, AND SHE DISPLAYS ABSOLUTE COMFORT WITH AUTHORITY.
“I’ve been working closely with clients for almost 40 years,” she told me. “I always had to make sure that things were okay for the project I was working on, whether I was the assistant engineer, the main engineer, or just helping with setup. You learn a certain amount of self-direction, but you also learn communication skills. You cannot sit in that chair if you have issues about taking control.
“To me and my staff on the scoring stage, it’s all about the music. It’s not really about what is the best mike to choose. It’s about what the music dictates. Maybe my understanding and approach come from growing up with a respect for great musicians. Respect for the people you’re working with doesn’t always come with the territory of being a recording engineer or producer.
… I still feel to this day that I’m in somewhat of a subservient role. No matter how many Grammys I have, I’m still at the service of the client who walks in the door and wants to make their music. I need to make sure that they have the best experience possible.”
Music is part of Leslie Ann Jones’s DNA. She jokingly
