The word legend is thrown around a lot these days. Quincy Jones was the very definition of it. 

The names he worked with over a long career are also legendary - Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Lesley Gore and of course, Michael Jackson, whose Thriller LP is one of the best selling in music history. And that's just the short list. You can see a full discography here. 

But it didn't stop there. It was Jones who produced "We Are The World," a tune for charity that involved some of the biggest music stars in history. He also scored dozens of movie and TV soundtracks, like Roots, The Wiz, and the theme from Sanford & Son. 

That's pretty incredible. 

But according to the AP, Jones almost got caught up in a very different lifestyle as a kid. 

"He spent much of his time in Chicago on the streets, with gangs, stealing and fighting.

“They nailed my hand to a fence with a switchblade, man,” he told the AP in 2018, showing a scar from his childhood.

Music saved him. As a boy, he learned that a Chicago neighbor owned a piano and he soon played it constantly himself."

The rest, as the old cliche goes, is history. And what a history he leaves. 

Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, dies at 91

Quincy Jones and I shared the same birthday [March 14] but I am several decades younger.

I interviewed Quincy Jones at his home on Stone Canyon Road in LA in 1982 for a radio series on record producers. His stories were endless and absolutely wonderful. He gave me over 2 hours of his time. The interview had originally been scheduled for 10AM, but before I left my hotel, his assistant called and asked if we could move it to 2PM. Before we started taping the interview, Quincy thanked me for moving the interview. He said he'd finished mixing the new Michael Jackson album well into the early morning hours and he thought it was the best he and Michael had done together and he hoped it would be successful.

The album was "Thriller". 

Last edited by Doug Thompson (November 4, 2024 1:04 pm)

RadioActive wrote:

Not sure how many know Quincy Jones was the guy who recorded this classic. It's called "Soul Bossa Nova," which would mean nothing to most people. But if you listen to it for less than 30 secs. you'll know exactly where you've heard it before.
 
The awesome power of music. Or should that be the Austin Powers of music?

"Definition", of course.

At the local junior hockey games, my wife (the in-game DJ) plays various 15-minute "mix" files during the intermissions, and one mix is all classic instrumentals, including "Soul Bossa Nova", plus tracks like "Green Onions", "TSOP" (well, not entirely an instrumental), and "Axel F".

Last edited by Forward Power (November 4, 2024 4:29 pm)

Channel 17 in Buffalo has resurrected an old special called “Quincy Jones: A Musical Celebration In Paris” that brought the music mogul back to the City of Lights. Or in this case, the City of Highlights.

According to the station:
 
"Sixty years after Quincy Jones first moved to Paris in his early 20s, he still thinks of the city as a second home. Filmed in front of a capacity crowd at AccorHotels Arena, QUINCY JONES: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION IN PARIS brings together nearly 100 world-class musicians, including a symphony orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley and a line-up of special guests. Songs include "Soul Bossa Nova," "Billie Jean," and "Let the Good Times Roll," among many others."
 
Not sure if this is running on other PBS stations, but there’s a tantalizing preview of the show from the Detroit PBS station, where it aired last year.
 
The 90 minute special airs locally on Friday, Nov.15th at 9 PM if you’re interested in seeing one of the last appearances of the musical legend.