As I delve into the extraordinary life of Quincy Jones, I am deeply moved by the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments and the depth of his impact on popular culture. A man who has transcended boundaries, defied stereotypes, and left an indelible mark on the world, Quincy’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and unwavering passion.
Legendary music titan Quincy Jones, known for his versatile work in record production, film scoring across various genres, entertainment management, and philanthropy, has passed away at the age of 91.
Arnold Robinson, Jones’ representative, informed the Associated Press that he passed away on Sunday evening at his residence in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, with his loved ones by his side.
This evening, with heavy hearts tinged with sadness, we are compelled to announce the demise of our beloved father and brother, Quincy Jones. Although this is an overwhelming sorrow for our family, we honor his life’s magnificence and understand that no one can ever replace such a unique individual.
Back in ’91, I was honored with the Grammy Legend Award, followed by an honorary Oscar in 2024, which felt pretty special too. In between, I got my hands on the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Motion Picture Academy in ’95. All told, I’ve walked away with a total of 28 Grammys out of an impressive 80 nominations – a record I’m pretty proud of!
Survivors include one of his seven children, actress Rashida Jones.
Over a remarkable career lasting over six decades, Quincy Jones played a pivotal role in several landmark achievements. He was instrumental in creating Michael Jackson’s top-selling albums “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad”; secured the rights to Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple,” cast a rising star named Oprah Winfrey in its 1985 film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg, for which he received three Oscar nominations; led the groundbreaking recording sessions for the 1985 charity single “We Are the World,” the best-selling single ever released; and produced Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit song “It’s My Party,” which topped the charts.
Jones’ first U.S. film score was for Sidney Lumet’s “The Pawnbroker” (1964), and he composed music for two significant movies that were released in 1967: the Oscar winner for Best Picture, “In the Heat of the Night”, and “In Cold Blood”, directed by Truman Capote.
He described his first visit to Hollywood to THR‘s Seth Abramovitch in May 2021.
He recalled being in his favorite suit when the producer approached him at Universal. The producer, taken aback, retreated and informed Joe Gershenson, ‘I wasn’t aware Quincy Jones was African-American.’ In films, they rarely employed black composers. Instead, they opted for three-syllable names of Eastern European descent, such as Bronislaw Kaper or Dimitri Tiomkin. This practice was deeply racist.
On television, Jones created the main themes for shows like the “Bill Cosby Show” from 1969 to 1971, “Ironside” and “Sanford and Son”, and he served as executive producer for shows such as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, where he discovered Will Smith, and “In the House”, featuring LL Cool J.
In 2013, I was honored with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an experience that still feels surreal. The following year, I embarked on a unique journey, producing the documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On”. This film showcases the life and mentorship of jazz legend Clark Terry, as well as his guidance of a blind piano prodigy, a story that resonated deeply with me and many music lovers.
In 1974, Jones managed to live through two brain aneurysms. Following the initial incident, he penned in his 2008 book titled “The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions: Photos, Letters, Memories & More From Q’s Personal Collection“, that it seemed unlikely he would survive, prompting his friends to arrange a memorial for him. However, they held the concert as planned.
Accompanied by his neurologist, he was present during the service held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, where Richard Pryor, Marvin Gaye, Sarah Vaughan, and Sidney Poitier eulogized his exceptional qualities.
Quincy Delight Jones Jr., born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, hailed from parents Quincy Delight Jones Sr. and Sarah Frances Jones. His mother worked at a bank before being institutionalized due to schizophrenia when Quincy was just 7 years old; his father was a carpenter who also played semi-professional baseball. Raised alongside his only full-blood brother, Lloyd, in the same household.
Quincy Senior got divorced from Sarah soon following her hospitalization, and later married a lady called Elvera, who already had three kids. Together, they went on to have another three children, resulting in a family with eight siblings.
Jones reminisced about being in the center of Chicago’s most significant African-American slum during the Depression, where each street seemed to breed every criminal, both black and white, across the nation. As a result, we found ourselves amidst it all,” Jones stated in an interview for the Academy of Achievement.
In 1943, his father relocated the entire family from their previous residence to Bremerton, Washington, securing a new employment opportunity there. Subsequently, they shifted again to Seattle, where Quincy Jr.’s high school years were spent at Garfield High School. It was during this period that he developed a keen interest in the arts, particularly music composition and mastering the trumpet. This creative pursuit effectively kept him away from any mischief.
As a young teenager, Jones encountered Ray Charles (depicted in the 2004 film “Ray” portrayed by Jamie Foxx) when he was just sixteen. This life-changing encounter led to Charles becoming an influential mentor, dear friend, and collaborator for numerous musical ventures they undertook together.
Clint Jones studied music at Seattle University while being part of its college band, with Clint Eastwood as a fellow student during that period. However, he only attended one semester before moving to Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship. Instead of finishing his education, he embarked on a tour with Lionel Hampton, serving as the trumpeter and arranger for prominent musicians such as Charles, Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, among others. His first Grammy recognition came from the arrangement of Count Basie’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You” song.
1956 saw Jones inking a deal with ABC Paramount Records as an artist. A year later, he relocated to Paris, immersing himself in music theory under the tutelage of renowned scholar Nadia Boulanger, and assuming the role of musical director for Les Disques Barclay label. He spent his days touring across Europe, serving as the musical director for composer Harold Arlen’s Free and Easy tour, and evenings forming a band known as The Jones Boys, which was made up of talented jazz artists from that show. Despite garnering positive reviews, financial resources remained limited.
He shared with ‘Musician’ magazine that despite being the top-notch jazz band globally, we were struggling financially,” he explained. “It was then I understood there was music and there was the music industry. To stay alive, I had to grasp the distinction between the two.
In 1958, Jones started working alongside Frank Sinatra. They teamed up for a charity event, with Jones handling the arrangements. Later, Sinatra asked him to arrange his 1964 album titled “It Might as Well Be Swing” along with the Count Basie Orchestra. He also contributed to the live set from 1966, “Sinatra at the Sands“, which included Jones’s iconic arrangement of “Fly Me to the Moon”. This was the very recording that astronaut Buzz Aldrin played when he first landed on the moon in 1969.
I teamed up with Ol’ Blue Eyes on numerous television shows and recording sessions across the years, which in turn opened doors for artists such as Billy Eckstine and Peggy Lee, allowing me to arrange performances for them too.
Jones stated in his 2001 autobiography, “Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones,” that Sinatra was absolutely one way or another – either extremely kind or very harsh. If he liked you, there was no limit to what he wouldn’t do for you. But if he disliked you, well, it was a shame for you indeed. I know he felt affection towards me because throughout our years of working together, we never had a written contract – just a simple handshake.
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but marvel at the recognition Jones earned from his solo albums. Among them are masterpieces like “Walking in Space,” “Gula Matari,” “Smackwater Jack,” “You’ve Got It Bad, Girl,” “Body Heat,” “Mellow Madness,” and “I Heard That!” Each one of these albums has left an indelible mark on my music collection.
The tune “Soul Bossa Nova,” composed and produced by him in 1962, was utilized for the 1998 World Cup held in France and made appearances in Woody Allen’s film “Take the Money and Run” (1969) as well as in the “Austin Powers” series.
As a gamer, I might say:
In his tenure as an executive, he also worked secretly as a film composer, creating the highly praised score for “The Pawnbroker” under Lumet. This eventually prompted him to leave Mercury for Los Angeles, where he found even greater opportunities in the field of movie scoring.
In 1965, he created the soundtrack for Sydney Pollack’s debut film titled “The Slender Thread,” featuring Poitier. Jones went on to contribute his musical talents to various productions such as “Walk, Don’t Run” from 1966, “Enter Laughing” in 1967 under Carl Reiner, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” by Paul Mazursky in 1969, “The Italian Job,” also in 1969, as well as “Cactus Flower,” the same year. His work continued with films like “They Call Me Mister Tibbs!” from 1970 and “The Getaway” in 1972.
In 1968, Jones achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African-American to receive two Oscar nominations in a single year. His songwriting partner, Bob Russell, and he made history as the first black nominees in the category of Best Original Song for their work on “The Eyes of Love” from the romantic drama “Banning“. Additionally, Jones’ original score for “In Cold Blood” was also nominated. To create this soundtrack, Jones drew inspiration from the actual interrogation tapes of the perpetrators who carried out the murders depicted in the film.
In 1971, Jones made history by becoming the first African American to hold the positions of musical director and conductor at the Oscars. Furthermore, he served as the executive producer during the Academy Awards in 1996. Additionally, he achieved another milestone in 1993 when he won the Hersholt award, making him the first African American to receive this honor.
He shares the record for the most Oscar nominations among African Americans, having been nominated seven times, similarly to sound designer Willie D. Burton.
In 1975, Jones established Qwest Productions, a company where he orchestrated and oversaw certified albums by Sinatra and other prominent pop artists. He was responsible for creating the soundtrack for the movie “The Wiz” (1978), featuring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in leading roles.
Jones’ 1981 album, titled “The Dude“, produced several popular songs such as “Ai No Corrida”, a cover of Chaz Jankel’s track, along with “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways”. The latter two songs had James Ingram on lead vocals, marking his first hits and signifying the start of his musical success.
1980 saw the creation of Qwest Records by him, which was a collaborative effort with Warner Music Group. This label boasted an assorted ensemble of musicians in its roster, such as New Order (a British post-punk band), Joy Division, Ingram, Frank Sinatra, Tevin Campbell, Andre Crouch, Patti Austin, Siedah Garrett, Gregory Jefferson, and Justin Warfield.
In the case of “The Color Purple”, Jones received nominations for best picture, original score, and original song – three out of the drama’s total 11 Academy Award nominations. However, neither he nor the film won any awards at the Oscars ceremony. It is worth noting that Jones was also a producer on the 2023 remake of the movie.
Jones’ social activism was an important part of his life. He supported Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and later Jesse Jackson’s P.U.S.H. movement and worked alongside Bono on a number of humanitarian projects, one in particular to eliminate Third World debt. He founded an organization called The Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, which builds homes in Africa and connects youth with learning music and culture.
He notably leveraged his connections to bring together the top musicians of the ’80s to A&M Studios in Los Angeles, 1985, where he oversaw the recording of “We Are the World.” To ensure a collaborative effort, he asked the artists to leave their egos behind. This anthem collected over $63 million for Ethiopian famine relief.
In 1990, he established Quincy Jones Entertainment in partnership with Time Warner. This company was responsible for producing shows like the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which significantly boosted Smith’s acting and artistic career, as well as “In the House” on UPN and “Mad TV” on Fox, among others.
In the year 1993, he established jointly QDE (Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment), a production company that created films, TV shows, and educational content. Additionally, they published two magazines, namely VIBE and Spin.
Jones, who claimed proficiency in 26 languages and the ability to write in seven, was married to his high school sweetheart, Jeri Caldwell, from 1957 to 1966. He then wed actress Ulla Andersson from 1967 to 1974, followed by a marriage with actress Peggy Lipton, known for her role in The Mod Squad, from 1974 to 1990. His seven children were born during these relationships, including one with dancer Carol Reynolds and another with actress Nastassja Kinski.
When life feels overwhelming, it’s important to pause and allow your spirit to sync with your body,” he penned in The Complete Quincy Jones. “Step outside and discover a tune that resonates with you, or a verse that stirs your emotions. Take a moment to let the soft echo of divine harmony fill your thoughts. Each day that you rise above the earth – that simple fact alone should be enough to bring you joy.
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2024-11-04 11:25