Quincy Jones, also known by the diminutive 'Q', is an American composer and producer who can boast of having been nominated 79 times and winning 28 Grammy Awards ! He was even the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for best song, a nomination that took place in 1968.
He will also be the producer of a certain Michael Jackson, notably on the mythical albums Thriller in 1982 (he will sell at least 110 million copies) and Bad in 1987 (he sold more than 45 million copies). He will also produce in 1985 "We are the world", another mythical song specially dedicated to the famine in Ethiopia and which will bring together all that was done at that time as singers.
He really began his artistic career at the age of 19 when he accompanied jazzman Lionel Hampton on a tour of Europe in 1952. Then played the trumpet players from 1956 alongside Dizzy Gillespie again during a tour but this time on the North and South American continent. He returned to Europe in 1957 and became musical director at Barclay, a French label which had become a subsidiary of Mercury Records.
At the beginning of the 60s, he created his own group called The Jones Boys, a group which has no less than 18 musicians and which will travel the 4 corners of the planet. But training of this magnitude is expensive, too expensive, and the adventure quickly turns into financial disaster. A bitter failure that will mark him deeply and forever change his destiny.
Returning to Mercury Record in 1964 where he quickly obtained the post of vice-president, making him the first African-American to hold a position of this level. It was also from this moment that he began to compose film scores, starting with the soundtrack of the film The Pawnbroker.
The quality of his compositions interested more and more people and he spent the next seven years composing for an impressive number of films and series. He works in parallel as arranger for prestigious names of the song like Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and others Nana Mouskouri, among others. Still at the same time, he produced the singer Lesley Gore, who sold, during the period of their collaboration, no less than 4 million records.
In the 70s, he created his label Qwest Productions, label with which he will notably produce some of Frank Sinatra's biggest albums while producing alongside rising stars of pop music.
At the beginning of the 80s, it was the album “Dude” which allowed him to shine with huge singles like “Ai no corrida”, which was in fact a cover of the title of Chaz Jankel, “Just once” and “One hundred ways» all 2 interpreted by a certain James Ingram…
In 1985, he created the event once again when he managed to bring together all the gratin of American singers for the benefit of the fight against famine in Ethiopia. The end of the decade will be more oriented towards the production of successful television series like The Prince of Bel Air. Series which will launch in particular a certain Will Smith ...
In the early 90s, he won the crazy gamble of bringing Miles Davis back to the stage for a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The resulting recording will quickly become legendary. The rest of the decade will once again be devoted primarily to the production of television series.
But the adventure concerning him is still not over and go find out what he still has in store for us ...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
Money runner 1972
Is it love that we are missin' 1975
Stuff like that 1978
Ai no corrida 1981
Just once 1981
Razzamataz 1981
One hundred ways 1981
Betcha wouldn't hurt me 1981
I’ll be good to you 1989
The secret garden 1990
Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me) 1990
I don’t go for that 1990
You put a move on my heart 1995
Slow jams 1996
Something I cannot have 1999
Clips :
1972 ... essentially instrumental beginnings. To have words, we will have to be a little more patient. But we will be ...
1975 ... the lyrics arrive but it is above all the voices of others that we will hear in all the titles released, never his own. And for a first sung version, it is rather successful !
1978 ... the start of planetary reconnaissance. After some necessary adjustments, the machine starts up slowly but surely. And given what is looming on the horizon, there is every reason to be optimistic about what will happen next ...
1981 ... then comes THIS title. Which in truth is a cover of a track by Chaz Jankel from the previous year. A slightly reworked version that will simply become one of the biggest dance hits of all time. An amazing title which confirms what everyone had seen, that is to say the exceptional talent of Q to produce exceptional titles. MO-NU-MEN-TAL !
1981 ... where the art of surrounding oneself with the best. This time, it is James Ingram who will be at the controls of this magnificent Intimist title which literally floats in the air. MA-GIC !
1981 ... a sumptuous 1981 with a plethora of titles and above all a plethora of styles. This time, Patti Austin is at the helm on this very successful Dance song ma faith. Good job !
1981 ... when the recipe has already worked, why change it. We take the same and start again. A Jones-Ingram duo that works perfectly and produces titles of more than certain quality
1981 ... when the recipe has already worked, why change it. We take the same and start again. A Jones-Austin duo which works perfectly and which produces titles of more than certain quality. Here, I have the impression of having already said it ...
1989 ... big air gap for 8 years during which the producer Jones will help some friends in need to release albums some of which will become legendary. So here he is again in this year 1989 on a completely improbable duo, a duo which will quite simply bring him his biggest hit single solo side. HU-GE !
1990 ... an incredible collection of singers among the most popular of the moment to celebrate the transition to the 90s. All on a sumptuous Intimist track. Let the magic work ...
1990 ... after the confirmed ultras, here come the little youngsters. It's light, it's fresh, it's airy, we don't ask them more ...
1990 ... beautiful year 1990 with 3 titles on the clock and especially 3 totally different styles. Certainly, this title will be the least prestigious but it has the merit of balancing serious as they say ...
1995 ... a new 4 years air gap and a smooth return to 1995 with this title literally floating in the air once again. How to resist...
1996 ... new range of big names to embellish a title that asks only to take us to countries where everything is only calm and pleasure ...
1999 ... and of course, the decade ends you know how ? Gently, the opposite would have been surprising. We would have liked to have had a few more Dance titles from Q but hey, we'll be happy with that
Top Bonus : 1980 ... and here is the original of 'Ai no corrida'. Very few differences with the version of Q, that's clear. Just a unique know-how and orchestration that will have brought the touch of genius that was missing ...
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :