Quincy Jones

American trumpeter, composer, arranger, conductor and producer Quincy Jones has established himself as one of the most important musical personalities of the 20th century, beyond jazz. Born Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. in Chicago on March 14, 1933, he grew up in poverty in Seattle, then in Washington, where he became interested in music. He learned the trumpet and sang in the gospel group The Jones Boys, then won a scholarship to study in Boston, but left to work as an arranger in New York. Joining Lionel Hampton's band alongside Clifford Brown and Art Farmer in 1953, he joined Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra three years later and recorded his first album, This Is How I Feel About Jazz. He then flew to Paris to take lessons with Nadia Boulanger and met Eddie Barclay, who opened the doors of his label to him and got him to work with Henri Salvador and Michel Legrand, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour and American jazz artists based in Paris. Back in the U.S., the Mercury label caught wind of his Parisian achievements and offered him the post of vice-president. From then on, Quincy Jones embarked on a flourishing period that saw him record with his own orchestra, notably the successful album Big Band Bossa Nova and its hit "Soul Bossa Nova" in 1962, or work with Ray Charles. In addition to his own albums, he began composing for the cinema, producing some twenty film soundtracks, including In the Heat of the Night (1967) and The Italian Job (1969). In 1964, he collaborated with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, while his musical evolution moved from big band to pop or easy listening jazz, soul jazz, then jazz funk and disco, with albums as varied as Walking in Space (1969), Smackwater Jack (1971), Body Heat (1974), I Heard That! (1976) and The Dude (1981). He became a household name with the production of Michael Jackson's albums Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982), the best-selling album in history, to which he contributed his know-how, followed by Bad (1987). In 1985, he organized the biggest musical session ever seen for the USA for Africa charity project and its title track "We Are the World", bringing together a myriad of American stars. The producer-turned-show-business mogul went on to score Steven Spielberg's film The Color Purple and, after reuniting with Sinatra for his final album L.A. Is My Lady (1984), reunited with Miles Davis for Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux. He set up his own Warner Bros.-affiliated label, Qwest Records, which released the R&B and rap album Back on the Block and its impressive guest list in 1989. the release of his autobiography in 2001 was followed by Q: Soul Bossa Nostra (2010), his latest album. A 28-time Grammy Award winner, Quincy Jones has received several honorary doctorates and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. On November 3, 2024, Quincy Jones died at the age of 91.