Quincy Jones

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Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones in 2004
Background information
Birth name	Quincy Delight Jones, Jr.
Also known as	Q
Born	March 14, 1933 (1933-03-14) (age 75) Chicago, Illinois
Origin	New York City, New York
Genre(s)	Pop, Funk, Soul, Big band music, Swing music, Crossover jazz, Traditional pop
Occupation(s)	music impresario, conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer, trumpeter
Years active	1951 – present
Label(s)	Mercury, Qwest
Associated acts	Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra

Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American music impresario, conductor, record producer, musical arranger, Academy Award-winning film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations,^[1] 27 Grammys,^[2] including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. He is best known as the producer of the album Thriller, by pop icon Michael Jackson, which sold 104 million copies worldwide,^[3] and as the producer and conductor of the charity song “We Are the World”.

In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. That same year, he became the first African-American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of In Cold Blood. Jones was also the first (and so far, the only) African-American to be nominated as a producer in the category of Best Picture (in 1986, for The Color Purple). He was also the first African-American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1995. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African-American, each of them having seven nominations.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest son of Sarah Frances (née Wells), an apartment complex manager and bank executive who suffered from schizophrenia, and Quincy Delight Jones, Sr., a semi-professional baseball player and carpenter.^[4] His mother is a descendant of Mary Belle Lanier, the out of wedlock daughter of James Balance Lanier (second cousin four times removed of George Washington and first cousin of the maternal grandfather of John McCain) by an unknown African American woman.^[5] Jones is also of, Welsh, and West African/Central African ancestry (for the 2006 PBS television program African American Lives he had his DNA tested; the test showed him to be of Tikar descent).^[6] Jones discovered music in grade school and took up the trumpet. When he was 10, his family moved to Seattle, Washington; there he attended Garfield High School.

In 1951, Jones won a scholarship to the Schillinger House in Boston. However, he abandoned his studies when he received an offer to tour as a trumpeter with the bandleader Lionel Hampton. While Jones was on the road with Hampton, he displayed a gift for arranging songs. Jones relocated to New York City, where he received a number of freelance commissions arranging songs for artists like Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, and his old friend Ray Charles.

[edit] Career

In 1956, Jones toured again as a trumpeter and musical director of the Dizzy Gillespie Band on a tour of the Middle East and South America sponsored by the United States State Department. Upon his return to the United States, Jones got a contract from ABC-Paramount Records and commenced his recording career as the leader of his own band. Jones moved to Paris, France in 1957. He studied music composition and theory with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen. He also performed at the Paris Olympia. Jones became music director at Barclay Disques, the French distributor for Mercury Records and during the 1950s, Jones successfully toured throughout Europe with a number of jazz orchestras. He formed his own band and organized a tour of North America and Europe. Though the tour was a critical success, poor budget planning made it an economic disaster and the fallout left Jones in a financial crisis. Irving Green, head of Mercury Records, got Jones back on his feet with a loan and a new job as the musical director of the company's New York division. In 1964, Jones was promoted to vice-president of the company, thus becoming the first African American to hold such a position. Quoted in Musician magazine, Jones said about his ordeal, "We had the best jazz band in the planet, and yet we were literally starving. That's when I discovered that there was music, and there was the music business. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two."

In 1963 Jones helped discover singer Lesley Gore, and produced some of her biggest hits, including "It's My Party". In 1964 Jones broke down another barrier: at the invitation of film director Sidney Lumet he began composing the first of the 33 major motion picture scores he would eventually write. The result was the score for The Pawnbroker.

With Hollywood beckoning, Jones resigned from Mercury Records and moved to Los Angeles to compose film scores full time. Some of his most celebrated compositions were for the films Walk, Don't Run, In Cold Blood, The Slender Thread, In the Heat of the Night, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which featured Merrilee Rush performing a cover of the Burt Bacharach classic "What The World Needs Now", Cactus Flower, The Getaway, The Italian Job, and The Color Purple. He also scored for television, including the shows Roots, Ironside, Sanford and Son, and The Bill Cosby Show, as well as the theme music for The New Bill Cosby Show titled "Chump Change," which would later serve as the theme for the game show Now You See It.

In the 1960s, Jones worked as an arranger for some of the most important artists of the era, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Dinah Washington. Jones' solo recordings also garnered acclaim, including Walking in Space, Gula Matari, Smackwater Jack and Ndeda, You've Got It Bad, Girl, Body Heat, Mellow Madness, I Heard That, and The Dude. Starting in the late 1970s, Jones tried to convince Miles Davis to re-perform the music he had played on several classic albums that had been arranged by Gil Evans in the 1960s. Davis had always refused, citing a desire not to revisit the past. In 1991, Davis, then suffering from pneumonia, relented and agreed to perform the music at a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The resulting album from the recording, Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux, was Davis' last released album (he died several months afterward) and is considered an artistic triumph.^[7]

In 1985, Jones scored the Steven Spielberg film adaptation of The Color Purple. He and Jerry Goldsmith (from Twilight Zone: The Movie) are the only composers besides John Williams to have scored a theatrical Spielberg film. After the 1985 American Music Awards ceremony, Jones used his influence to draw every major American recording artist of the day into a studio to lay down the track "We Are the World" to raise money for the victims of Ethiopia's famine. When people marvelled at his ability to make the collaboration work, Jones explained that he'd taped a simple sign on the entrance: "Check Your Ego At The Door".

In 1996, Jones collaborated with David Salzman to produce the concert extravaganza An American Reunion, a celebration of Bill Clinton's inauguration as president of the United States. In 1994, Salzman and Jones decided to form the company Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment (QDE) with Time/Warner Inc.. QDE is a diverse company which produces media technology, motion pictures, television programs (In the House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and MADtv), and literary publications (Vibe and Spin).

In 2001, he published his autobiography Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. On July 31st, 2007, Jones partnered with Wizzard Media to launch the Quincy Jones Video Podcast.^[8] In each episode, Jones shares his knowledge and experience in the music industry. The first episode features Jones in the studio, producing "I Knew I Loved you" for Celine Dion, which is featured on the Ennio Morricone tribute album, We All Love Ennio Morricone and is slated for an October 2007 release on Dion's forthcoming album.

[edit] Work with Michael Jackson

While working on the film The Wiz, Jones met Michael Jackson, who asked him to produce his upcoming solo record. The result, Off The Wall sold a staggering 20 million copies and made Jones the most powerful record producer in the industry. Jones' and Jackson's next collaboration Thriller sold 104 million copies and became the highest-selling album of all time.^[9] Jones also worked on Michael Jackson's third solo album Bad, which sold 32 million copies. After the Bad album, Jackson and Jones went their separate ways so that Jackson could produce his later solo works by himself.

In a 2002 interview, when asked if Jackson would ever work with Jones again he replied, "the door is always open". However, in 2007, when NME.COM asked Jones a similar question, he said "Man please, I've got enough to do. We already did that. I have talked to him about working with him again but I've got too much to do. I've got 900 projects, I'm 74 years old. Give me a break".^[10]

[edit] Work with Frank Sinatra

Jones first worked with Frank Sinatra when he was invited by Princess Grace to arrange a benefit at the Monaco Sporting Club in 1958. ^[11] Six years later, Sinatra hired him to arrange and conduct Sinatra's second album with Count Basie, It Might as Well Be Swing (1964). Jones conducted and arranged 1966's live album with the Basie Band, Sinatra at the Sands. ^[12] Jones was also the arranger/conductor when Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Johnny Carson performed with the Basie orchestra in St. Louis in a benefit for Dismas House in June 1965. The fund-raiser was broadcast to a number of other theaters around the country and eventually released on DVD. ^[13] Later that year, Jones was also the arranger/conductor when Sinatra and Basie appeared on "The Hollywood Palace" TV show on October 16, 1965. ^[14] Nineteen years later, Sinatra and Jones teamed up for 1984's L.A. Is My Lady, after a joint Sinatra-Lena Horne project was abandoned. ^[15]

[edit] Personal life

Jones has never learned to drive, citing an accident in which he was a passenger (at age 14) as the reason.^[16] Jones has been married three times and has seven children:

• to Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966. One daughter, Jolie Jones Levine.
• to Ulla Andersson from 1967 to 1974; they had two children, Martina Jones and son Quincy Jones III;
• to actress Peggy Lipton from 1974 to 1990; they had two daughters, actresses Kidada Jones and Rashida Jones.
• Jones also had a brief affair with Carol Reynolds and had daughter, Rachel Jones.
• Jones dated and lived with actress Nastassja Kinski from 1991 until 1997. In 1993 their daughter Kenya Julia Miambi Sarah Jones was born.^[17]

In 1974, Jones suffered a cerebral aneurysm that almost claimed his life. He underwent two major brain surgeries and spent half a year convalescing. He was advised never to play trumpet again as it might disturb the settings left in his head by the procedure.

[edit] Social activism

Jones's social activism began in the 1960s with his support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jones is one of the founders of the Institute for Black American Music (IBAM) whose events aim to raise enough funds for the creation of a national library of African-American art and music. Jones is also one of the founders of the Black Arts Festival in his hometown Chicago. For many years he has worked closely with Bono of U2 on a number of philanthropic issues. He is the founder of the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, a charity which connects youths with technology, education, culture and music. One of the organizations programs is an intercultural exchange between underprivileged youths from Los Angeles and South Africa.

In 2001, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation built over 100 homes for Nelson Mandela's foundation in South Africa.

In 2004, Jones helped launch the We Are the Future (WAF) project, which gives children in poor and conflict-ridden areas a chance to live their childhoods and develop a sense of hope. The program is the result of a strategic partnership between the Glocal Forum, the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation and Mr. Hani Masri, with the support of the World Bank, UN agencies and major companies. The project was launched with a concert in Rome, Italy, in front of a half-million-person audience.

Jones supports a number of other charities including the NAACP, GLAAD, Peace Games and AmFAR. On July 26, 2007 he announced his endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president.

[edit] Awards and recognition

In 2000, Harvard University endowed the Quincy Jones Professorship of Afro-American Music with a grant of $3 million from Time Warner. The endowed chair for African-American music, housed in Harvard's African and African-American Studies Department, is believed to be the first in the nation, and is presently held by the ethnomusicologist Ingrid Monson. Distinguished scholar and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a close, personal friend of Jones's.

Quincy Jones arrives at the Grammy Foundation's Starry Night Honoring Quincy Jones on July 28, 2007 at the UCLA Tennis Center in Los Angeles, California.

In January 2005, Jones was honored by the United Negro College Fund at their annual Evening of Stars event for an entertainment career that has spanned over five decades.

Berklee College of Music considers Jones to be its most successful alumnus, even though he only attended for a year. His original application for admission is housed in a display case at the school. On September 19, 2005, Jones was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer. He was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 1994. On May 20, 2007, Jones received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

On March 26, 2001, Quincy Jones received the highly coveted French Légion d'Honneur medal for his significant achievements in his career.^[18]

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced on May 28, 2008 that Jones will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts. The induction ceremony will take place December 10th and he will be inducted alongside 11 other legendary Californians.

[edit] Media appearances

Jones had a cameo in the 1997 video for the Puff Daddy song "Been Around the World" (as "Uncle Q"). Rapper Ludacris sampled Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" for his 2005 single "Number One Spot". Jones was featured in the video; he also performed a cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember, which also featured "Soul Bossa Nova" on its soundtrack. Jones was a guest star on an episode of The Boondocks in which he and the main character, Huey Freeman, co-produced a Christmas play for Huey's elementary school.

For the 2006 PBS television program African American Lives, Jones had his DNA tested; the test showed him to be descended from the Tikar of Cameroon, an ethnic group whose members are well known for their artistic and musical prowess. The test also showed that 34 percent of his ancestry is European.

February 10, 2008 Quincy presented at the Grammy Awards. He presented Album of The Year to Herbie Hancock.

[edit] References in popular culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

South Korean popstar BoA, a popular artist in Japan, released a single called Quincy in 2004 that was a "soul disco" song in homage to his legacy. (The single made it to #4 on the Japanese Oricon Charts.)

Jones was portrayed by Larenz Tate in the 2004 biography about Ray Charles, Ray.

As a master inventor of musical hybrids, Jones has blended pop, soul, hip-hop, jazz, classical, African and Brazilian music into many dazzling fusions.^[19] Among his favourites Brazilian artists, Simone, whom he quotes "one of the best singers in the world"^[20] Milton Nascimento, Gilson Peranzzetta,^[21] Ivan Lins^[22] and many bossa nova musicians.

In the TV series Flight of the Conchords episode "Girlfriends", a man swindles Murray Hewitt by claiming to be Quincy Jones' brother.

[edit] Discography

Main article: Quincy Jones discography

[edit] See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Quincy Jones

• Official Quincy Jones Website
• Official Quincy Jones Myspace Profile
• Quincy Jones Music Publishing
• American Masters - Quincy Jones: The Story of an American Musician
• Exclusive Video Interview with Quincy Jones
• Quincy Jones at the Internet Movie Database
• Association for Computing Machinery Video Interview with Quincy Jones
• Quincy Jones speech on the importance of Cultural Diplomacy throughout the world, Beijing, China, May 26, 2006
• Quincy Jones biography and video interview excerpts by The National Visionary Leadership Project
• Video clip of Quincy Jones' speech on education at the American Film Institute for the 2006 ACM Computers in Entertainment Scholarship Awards (November 4, 2006)