Monday, November 4th, 2024, before dawn. Due to my PhD study habits, I often fall asleep on the couch. The alarm on my cell phone unceremoniously brought me out of my slumber on my living room couch. During these early hours of the morning, I often meander through social media to bring me further into consciousness. As I scrolled through my feed, I came across a news article that made my heart sink: Quincy Jones had passed away. The news hit me harder than I expected. As the sun’s rays began to filter through the small stained-glass window on the westward wall, the weight of our loss sank in. Amid my morning routine, I felt compelled to play his Afro-Brazilian jazz masterpiece, “Soul Bossa Nova,” and it brought me to tears…We lost an icon in music, a legend, a trendsetter. We lost an “anchor being” to the sacred timeline of American music history. Without him, American music might don a different set of dancing shoes—less profound Hip in its Hop, with less Rhythm in its Blues, lacking rich seasoning in its musical gumbo. Jazz’s potato salad might, heaven forbid, even contain raisins in it. Mr. Jones was not merely the bridge between classical, jazz and commercial music; he was its architect, wielding his mastery of Western counterpoint to engineer and design some of America’s most beloved sounds. But due to his massive contributions to multiple genres of American music, his true impact is often understated and misunderstood.
Few knew that he was a professional musician at the age 14, guided by mentors like, Count Basie and working with the likes of Ray Charles. Although he went to college to study music (most notably Berklee College of Music), his abilities awarded him an early opportunity to perform as a professional jazz musician with trumpeter/arranger Lionel Hampton in the 1950s. He arranged music for or led some of the greatest jazz performers in history: Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and so many more. His composition Boo’s Blues was an amazing collaboration with Bassist Charles Mingus, Flautist Herbie Mann and Saxophonist Phil Woods. Boo’s Blues demonstrates his amazing ability to create clarity and precision while allowing for artistic expression from this talented bunch. Although known as a jazz composer, arranger and bandleader, in 1957, Jones moved to Paris to study classical music counterpoint with the renowned classical composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger. Her guidance informed his compositional styles and purpose for composition and arranging. In 1961, Jones became the first African American to hold the title of Vice President at Mercury Records, providing him unprecedented opportunities as a producer, arranger and composer.
As Jones transitioned into writing and producing popular music, his extraordinary impact on the genre began to overshadow his jazz achievements. Collaborations with icons like Aretha Franklin, George Benson, James Ingram, and Barry White resulted in numerous commercial hits, while his exceptional scores for films such as The Italian Job, The Color Purple, and The Wiz showcased his versatility. Many remember him for composing the theme for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, produced by his own company, but fewer recognize his work on The Cosby Show or the iconic theme from Sanford and Son—the latter titled “Streetbeater” from his blues-funk album You’ve Got It Bad Girl. His monumental partnership with Michael Jackson produced three of the best-selling albums in history: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Together with Lionel Richie, their co-creation of We Are the World became the eighth-best-selling single of all time, raising over $80 million for humanitarian efforts in Africa and the U.S.
Even as Quincy Jones solidified his status as a titan of commercial music, he remained committed to nurturing jazz. His considerable influence helped revitalize Miles Davis’s career, notably during a landmark live performance at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival. Jones encouraged Davis to revisit his classic works, resulting in a critically acclaimed show that would become one of Davis’s final appearances before his passing a month later. The performance recording was posthumously released in 1993. In 2017, Jones further demonstrated his dedication to jazz by launching Qwest TV, an on-demand streaming platform aimed at becoming the world’s largest database of jazz-related audio and video.
Quincy Jones’ influence on jazz music is undeniable, yet, as is often the case with American music historians, his contributions have been narrowly confined, obscuring his true significance. With over seven decades in the industry, Jones has straddled multiple generations and defied the divisive labels that often plague the American music landscape. One could imagine how the Baby Boomer generation may view him as a revered jazz musician and conductor; for Generation X and Millennials: a commercial music titan who shaped some of the most iconic Pop and R&B hits. Generation Z, on the other hand, may recognize him as a shrewd music and television executive or the veteran who champions young talents like Jacob Collier. Yet these labels are woefully reductive, failing to capture the full spectrum of his impact on music and popular culture. In truth, he was one of the most important composers and producers of American music, and should be thought of with likes of Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and John Williams.
Jacob Collier once described Quincy Jones as the greatest living musical superhero. To me, the essence of that statement remains unchanged—Jones will always be my G.O.A.T., and his passing is certainly worthy of a heartfelt cry. In the spirit of the classic Lesley Gore song, “It’s My Party (and I’ll Cry If I Want To),” I embrace the emotion. Released in 1963, that song was a hit single from Gore’s second album, It’s My Party, which is rightly considered one of the top 200 albums of the 60s. Both the album and the single soared to #1 on the Billboard charts. Guess who produced that iconic album…Go ahead. Take a guess…Thanks, Q.
