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November 10, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Music Legend Quincy Jones

(AP Photo)

For more than a half-century, Quincy Jones has had his finger on the popular music pulse.

An accomplished jazz trumpeter at 17, he became famous as a musical arranger and producer.  With a prodigious talent for imagining music, Jones moved from jazz, to blues to hip hop, working with everyone from Count Basie to Aretha Franklyn to Michael Jackson to Ludacris.

After 79 grammy nominations the man known simply as Q has a new book and a new CD. We speak with Quincy Jones about his world of music.

-Anthony Brooks

Guest:

Quincy Jones, producer, composer, music legend. He has been nominated for 79 Grammy awards and won 27 over his fifty-year career, including a “Grammy Legend Award” in 1991.  He produced the world’s top selling album — Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” – and the world’s top-selling single — “We Are the World.” He’s also worked with Miles Davis, Dinah Washington, Lesley Gore, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, and many many more. His new album is “Q: Soul Bossa Nostra,” and his new book is “The Quincy Jones Legacy Series: Q on Producing.”

 
  • jeffe

    Q is one of the most influential music producers in the history of music. He also happens to be one of the top arrangers/composers out their as well. And he was a pretty damn good trumpet player in his day.

    I even love all those funky TV themes he did in the 60′s and 70′s like Ironside. Kill Bill is a classic.

    The amount of talent this man has is amazing.

    The one bad thing I can remember he did was the “We are the World” that was awful. Hey you can’t win em’ all.

  • Rob

    Mr. Jones worked with Michael Jackson on the musical event” We Are The World”. Of all of the entertainers and public figures who were invited to participate why was John Denver not invited as has been widely reported?

  • jeffe

    Rob you’re kidding right? John Denver?

  • Al Dorman

    Thank you so much Mr. Jones for the immortal theme to “Fresh Prince.”

    BOSTON, MA

  • Greg

    Anthony, lighten up and have a conversation with The Dude like he’s trying to do.

  • Greg

    I’d like to ask Q what he thinks of the current state of pop music.

  • Sally

    i agree with Greg. Just let Quincy Jones talk; I wanted to hear about his Boston roots!

  • http://john-s-allen.com John S. Allen

    (Waltham, Massachusetts)

    Speaking of decategorization of American music, can you please discuss your version of the Hallelujah Chorus which the white guy writing this message saw on Black Entertainment Television? It was very cool, with the multi-ethnic chorus, in multi-colored clothing, and the elaboration on Handel’s music. I am trying to imagine how Handel would have reacted to this. I tend to think that, after a period of amazed wonderment and shock, he would have welcomed you as a brother and given you a big hug.

  • SMK

    It’s by no means my favorite of QJ’s work, but I must admit, the Austin Powers theme is just so frothy and delightful.

  • Al Dorman

    (Boston, MA)

    Did he face discrimination? Ever work with New Orleans masters like Allen Toussaint?

  • http://challenginglachesis.blogspot.com Dave Eger

    Couldn’t Quincy and a few other well off successful artists put together a fund and lobby for the position of Government Arts Manager to be created? It’s how every other industry does it.

    Personally though, I think that Art is sacred, and believe strongly in a separation of church and state. I wouldn’t trust the current system to manage the Arts, especially when you think of some of the trouble that’s caused in the past. It would be really nice to have a fund that would pay for artists to tour and share their work like they have in many European countries. Perhaps Quincy and his friends can just put together a fund to make that happen.

    In Newton. Last name pronounced like ‘eager”.

  • John Shotwell

    My favorite album has to be Miles and Quincy Live At Montreux. . How was working with Miles? had you worked him before that project?

  • http://djeddieo.com Edward Onessimo

    I think Anthony did an incredible job filling in for Tom Ashbrook, arguably the very best host of a call-in show on public radio. Quincy didn’t always answer a question, but his stories were even better as a result. Great luck Anthony had getting Boston-area callers with such sharp memories from 50+ years ago, but I don’t underestimate the skill it takes to tactfully manage those calls.

  • http://www.tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com Bethany Knight

    Anthony! Can’t imagine what it is to be witn a powerhouse like QJ….can you pick up on some of the astounding stuff he has said…so far:
    1-took 20 minutes to write Bosa
    2-Columbine related to kids now knowing their culture….say more about that!

    Thank you! What a grand show. I am listening on line from Bangalore, India

  • Lake

    To the 75 year-old gentleman who is interested in jazz and improvisational music, I highly recommend listening to an album called “The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA August 13, 1975″ by the Grateful Dead. Side One is the epitome of improvisational jazz. (In my humble opinion, the Grateful Dead achieved consistently what scores of jazz musicians can only dream about.) You will love it. It will change your life. If you like that, listen to “Dark Star” and “The Eleven”.

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