Quincy jones

 Quincy Jones: Legendary Maestro of American Music Passes Away at 91 x

As a producer, Quincy Jones created the best-selling album ever, Michael Jackson’s "Thriller." He was also well-known for his work as an arranger and composer for film music, contributing to countless memorable soundtracks.

Quincy Jones, a major influence in American popular music for over fifty years, passed away on Sunday in California at the age of 91. His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed his death in a statement that did not include details about the cause. The statement mentioned that Quincy died peacefully at his home in Bel Air.

Mr. Jones started his career as a jazz trumpeter and quickly became sought after as an arranger, creating music for big bands like Count Basie’s. He also composed film music and produced many records. However, his most significant impact may have come from his ability to connect people and artists, which many consider just as important in the development of music.

Beyond his direct work with music, Quincy Jones played a key role in bringing people together. He organized, inspired, and hired many artists. Starting in the late 1950s, he helped advance opportunities in Black popular music, allowing for a rich exchange of styles and genres. Even without producing Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the best-selling album ever, his influence on music would still be significant.

Mr. Jones’s music has been sampled and reused hundreds of times, especially in hip-hop and for the theme of the "Austin Powers" films, featuring his song "Soul Bossa Nova" from 1962. He has won the third-most Grammy Awards ever, with 28 wins out of 80 nominations. Beyoncé holds the record with 32 wins, and Georg Solti is second with 31. He received honorary degrees from prestigious schools like Harvard, Princeton, Juilliard, and Berklee, along with a National Medal of Arts and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Despite his tremendous success, as noted by his colleague Benny Carter, some believe that his achievements might have overshadowed his true talent.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mr. Jones led his own bands and arranged popular recordings like Dinah Washington’s "The Swingin’ Miss ‘D’" (1957), Betty Carter’s "Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant" (1955), and Ray Charles’s "Genius + Soul = Jazz" (1961). He also arranged and conducted notable collaborations between Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, including the highly regarded album "Sinatra at the Sands" (1966).

Mr. Jones composed music for films like "The Pawnbroker" (1964), "In Cold Blood" (1967), and "The Color Purple" (1985), blending styles such as classical, jazz, funk, and Afro-Cuban music. His work in film and television showcased his ability to mix different musical influences. Additionally, the three albums he produced for Michael Jackson—"Off the Wall," "Thriller," and "Bad"—transformed the pop music landscape by reaching both Black and white audiences at a time when radio playlists were becoming more divided.

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was born on March 14, 1933, on the South Side of Chicago. His father, Quincy Sr., was a carpenter who worked for local gangsters, while his mother, Sarah (Wells) Jones, was a talented musician and a Boston University graduate. In the late 1930s, Quincy and his brother, Lloyd, were separated from their mother due to her struggles with a mental illness. Their father took them to Louisville, Kentucky, where they were cared for by their maternal grandmother, who had been a formerly enslaved worker.

By 1943, Quincy Sr. moved with his sons to Bremerton, Washington, where he got a job at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Later, his second wife, Elvera, and her three children joined them, and four years later, the family moved to Seattle. In Seattle, Quincy Sr. and Elvera had three more children, making a total of eight siblings. Quincy and Lloyd often felt that they were not favored by their stepmother and frequently had to take care of themselves.

Drawn to Music

The young Quincy was eager to learn and wanted to escape his situation. At 11, he and his brother broke into a recreation center searching for food. Inside, they found a spinet piano in a supervisor's room. Quincy felt a strong urge, which he later described as “God’s whispers,” guiding him to touch the piano. He joined his school band and choir, learning to play various instruments, and music quickly became his passion.

At 13, he convinced trumpeter Clark Terry, who was visiting Seattle with Count Basie’s band, to give him lessons after the band’s late-night performance and before school each day. At 14, he met a young Ray Charles, who was then known as R.C. Robinson. They became friends and worked together for a local bandleader, Bumps Blackwell. At 15, Quincy shared an original composition with Lionel Hampton, who hired him on the spot, but he was soon let go by Hampton’s wife, Gladys, who told him to focus on his education.

After graduating from Garfield High School in Seattle, Quincy attended Seattle University for one semester before accepting a scholarship to the Schillinger House in Boston, now known as Berklee College of Music. In 1951, he joined Hampton’s band again, this time staying for two years as a trumpeter and occasional arranger. He quickly wrote music, including his first credited piece, “Kingfish,” showcasing his natural talent for charm and organization.

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