Quincy Jones: Looking Back On A Life Of Music

Chloe_boden

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A black and white image of Quincy Jones crouched down on stage holding a microphone

Chloe Boden

Legendary jazz musician and producer Quincy Jones, who worked with legends Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, died in his home in Bel Air on 3rd November at the age of 91.

As an industry giant whose innovation for sound earned him 28 Grammys, seven Academy awards, a Tony and countless other awards, here are some of Jones’ musical milestones from his 70-year career.

Soulful beginnings

Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones’ childhood coincided around the time the newly birthed jazz era was making its way north from New Orleans. The movement of jazz served as an inspiration for a generation of young musicians, many of African American heritage, who found themselves relocating to the city for work during the Great Migration.

Inspired by soulful legend Ray Charles, Jones began playing his neighbour’s piano. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he met and later toured with jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton. The experience proved vital in his steps to becoming a freelance arranger and by the 1950s, he was touring all over Europe with jazz orchestras.

Frank Sinatra

Jones’ first encounter with musical royalty Frank Sinatra in 1958 was fittingly down to Princess Grace Kelly, who hired the two musicians to perform at a musical benefit in Monaco. Sinatra later hired Jones to produce his second studio album, It Might as Well Be Swing (1964), bearing iconic musical fruit such as Fly Me to the Moon and I Can’t Stop Loving You. Sinatra, who affectionately nicknamed him ‘Q’, recalled of working with Jones: “What I remember about it was that it was probably one of the most exciting engagements I have ever done in my life.” The two remained friends for the duration of Sinatra’s life, who allegedly gave Jones his family crested ring after he died. Fly Me to the Moon is considered one of the most iconic jazz arrangements of all time.

It’s My Party

In 1963 Jones, a newly promoted Vice President of Mercury Records, turned his polyphonic ear to pop music, where he produced It’s My Party for Leslie Gore. The single shot to number one on the US Billboard and peaked at number nine in the UK. Jones struck success twice with the song, later rerecording it with Amy Winehouse. In 2014, artists Grace and G-Eazy favoured another track off the collaboration between Lesley Gore and Jones, You Don’t Own Me and contacted Jones to remake the song. It spent 19 weeks in the UK charts, peaking at number four. Proving his innovation for sound had staying power six decades on.

Scoring cinematic success

A year later, the producer made his big screen debut, producing scores for the film The Pawnbroker, where he won a grammy award in 1965 for Best Original Score. In 1978, Jones produced the soundtrack album for The Wiz, working with Motown legend Diana Ross and a baby-faced Michael Jackson, to create a soundtrack enriched with the jazz arrangements beloved by Jones, R&B and soul. Ross took to Instagram to share her memories with Jones, writing: “His love and music touched our hearts and souls. His words and legacy will continue to inspire us all forever.”

Meeting the King of Pop

The meeting of a 19-year-old Jackson and Jones in 1978 proved to be another pairing preordained for success. Jones is credited on three of Michael Jackson’s albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, all reaching multiple platinum titles and exceeding global selling records. Some of the most notable touches across Jackson’s work were to Jones’ credit, including commissioning Eddie Van Halen as the distinctive guitarist for Beat It, as well as blending multiple genres, producing universal appeal that Jackson enjoyed so heavily throughout his career. The relationship between the pair ultimately strained in later life, but the work produced together will remain untarnished as some of the iconic albums of all time.

We are The World

Throughout his life, Jones dedicated large amounts of time and money to charity and philanthropy. In 1985, alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, he produced the charity single We Are the World, selling over 800,000 copies worldwide. The three artists in the prime of their careers compiled the world’s most infamous voices, from Bob Dylan to Cyndi Lauper, together raising 60 million dollars for African famine relief. In an interview with Al Roker, Jones recalled, “” The track is the eight best-selling single of all time.

Jones was also in the process of composing and producing the soundtrack for Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple at the time, working alongside then little-known actresses Oprah Winfrey and Whoopie Goldberg, earning him further Grammy and Golden Globe nominations. Oprah took to Instagram upon the news of Jones’ death, writing: “My life changed forever for the better after meeting him. I had never experienced, nor have since, anyone who’s heart was so filled with love.”

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

There are few people of a certain generation who are unfamiliar with TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as main character Will Smith discovered on The Graham Norton Show in 2013, where he was serenaded with the opening rap by the studio audience. Jones produced the theme song as executive producer of the 90s NBC show, even starring in an episode. Rolling Stone ranked it as number seven on the ‘Top 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time’. Smith described Jones as a “true definition of a mentor.”

Jazz Festival and the new generation

Jones dedicated time to bringing talent musicians together throughout his life. The jazz fanatic continued to do so even in his later years when he united musicians at the Montreux Jazz festival. Initially a co-producer in 1991, his genius for sound inspired old and new generational talent, most recently with Raye donning the stage this year. Jones was a regular attendee for thirty years. The official page for the festival recently paid tribute, calling Jones “our hero.”