13 ms·
Quincy Jones has died
- walthamstow 2y agoA true titan of all genres of popular music. The documentary made by his daughter Rashida Jones is very, very good. I'd recommend it to anyone.
- teeray 2y ago> The documentary made by his daughter Rashida Jones I just watched Parks and Rec for the first time last month and didn't make the connection that she is his daughter.
- drooopy 2y agoHer mother is Peggy Lipton, aka Julie Barnes from the Mod Squad / Norma Jennings from Twin Peaks.
- mastersummoner 2y agoIf you ever listen to Rashida speak, she's one of the most incredibly eloquent people I've heard. Pipe dream for me to ever be as well-spoken as she is.
- triceratops 2y agoTo be fair Jones is a common family name. I didn't connect John David Washington to Denzel until I looked him up.
- lproven 2y agoI loved this interview, when he was 84 and clearly DGAF any more. https://www.gq.com/story/quincy-jones-has-a-story https://www.gq.com/story/quincy-jones-has-a-story
- ansc 2y agoHe really was a gem. Here's my favorite interview of all time with the same vibe: https://www.vulture.com/article/quincy-jones-in-conversation.html https://www.vulture.com/article/quincy-jones-in-conversation... >Marlon Brandon used to go cha-cha dancing with us. He could dance his ass off. He was the most charming motherfucker you ever met. He’d fuck anything. Anything! He’d fuck a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye. >He slept with them? How do you know that? >[Frowns.] Come on, man. He did not give a fuck! You like Brazilian music?
- racl101 2y agodayum that was weird to learn.
- inferiorhuman 2y agoOh yeah, Sérgio Mendes died recently.
- MaxPock 2y agoMy favourite What were your first impressions of the Beatles? That they were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherfuckers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it. I remember once we were in the studio with George Martin, and RingoJones arranged a version of “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” for Starr’s 1970 solo debut album Sentimental Journey, which was produced by the Beatles’ frequent collaborator George Martin. The song, and album, are more than a bit gloopy. had taken three hours for a four-bar thing he was trying to fix on a song. He couldn’t get it. We said, “Mate, why don’t you get some lager and lime, some shepherd’s pie, and take an hour-and-a-half and relax a little bit.” So he did, and we called Ronnie Verrell, a jazz drummer. Ronnie came in for 15 minutes and tore it up. Ringo comes back and says, “George, can you play it back for me one more time?” So George did, and Ringo says, “That didn’t sound so bad.” And I said, “Yeah, motherfucker because it ain’t you.” Great guy, though.
- lproven 2y agoYou missed out the bit I liked: > But you know who sings and plays just like Hendrix? > Who? > Paul Allen [The Microsoft co-founder and multibillionaire has a collection of yachts and guitars to rival the world’s finest, both of which he apparently makes good use of...] > Stop it. The Microsoft guy? > Yeah, man. I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon — all those crazy motherfuckers. Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him — he’s good, man.
- drooopy 2y agoOff The Wall, Thriller, and Bad. What an incredible run for both Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.
- kevin_thibedeau 2y agoThat was his middle stage career. Gems like 'Sinatra at the Sands' are worth a listen for his talented arrangements.
- qsi 2y agoThe "It Might As Well Be Swing" album by Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie band was my introduction to Quincy Jones, who did the arrangement. It is one of my favorite albums in Sinatra's discography.
- agumonkey 2y agoIt's strange to realize how sophisticated "pop" music was at the time. Lots of beautiful harmonies, violins ..
- giraffe_lady 2y agoI liked pop then and I like pop now, and I liked it the whole time in between, and I don't think you can say pop is less sophisticated now. The conventions of the genre have shifted because of communion with rock, hip hop and electronic dance music. But violins are just an instrument, no more sophisticated or less than any other arrangement choice. Now the complexity is in the rhythmic interactions, and the timbral palette available to producers. The musicality of pop musicians and especially studio performers and producers is just unreal right now.
- agumonkey 2y agoLink me some stuff worth listening too, I stopped scanning the recent music releases because most of it (except a few exceptions) felt like soup.
- linguae 2y agoAs a jazz aficionado, I am very familiar with Quincy Jones’ immense contributions to music. I am a very big fan of the albums he produced, such as “The Dude” and “Back on the Block.” What is less well known is Quincy Jones’ involvement with computing. At one point he was on the advisory committee for the ACM Computers in Entertainment Magazine (https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/973801.973803 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/973801.973803), and if I remember correctly, he was on the board of former Xerox PARC researcher Alan Kay’s Viewpoints Research Institute. I’ve been wanting to know more about Quincy Jones’ involvement with computing since I first learned about this a few years ago. Rest in peace. Quincy Jones is a legendary figure.
- sourcepluck 2y agoI'd never heard this! Would also love to learn more, wow. Agree that he was a legend, musically speaking.
- aithrowawaycomm 2y agoHere is a cool video of Herbie Hancock explaining his synthesizer / recording computer setup to Jones: https://old.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/sswplq/herbie_hancock_is_showing_his_computer_recording/ https://old.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/sswplq/herbi...
- smcnally 2y agoAmazing to watch Herbie Hancock approach the synth / sampler keys as its own instrument distinct from piano or rhodes or clav. He’s very comfortable with the stylus and touchscreen ui, too. They fit snugly into his workflow to where it feels like he helped develop them. Any videos on that? I’ll review the old Rock School videos from this same period. Quincy Jones is so lucky his dad took him to see Mr. Hancock.
- aithrowawaycomm 2y agoI couldn't find any information - I think the instrument there is a Fairlight CMI, which Peter Gabriel actually helped develop. But considering how prominent Hancock was in electronic music it wouldn't surprise me if this was built custom. OTOH Hancock likes computers in general so maybe he's just a nerd :) https://old.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/120mqfs/herbie_hancock_with_his_apple_iii_running/?rdt=46210 https://old.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/120mqfs/herb... Bonus cute video of Hancock showing the Fairlight off on Sesame Street: https://youtube.com/watch?v=daLceM3qZmI https://youtube.com/watch?v=daLceM3qZmI
- grugagag 2y agoBrilliant guy. Let’s hope we haven’t killed the elevator to climb those heights. We’re living strange times, currently it seems to me the age of great men is slowly fading only to be replaced mediocrity and simulacra. Of course I have no idea how it will all play out but hope for the best.
- chriscjcj 2y agoWhen I was four, I got a record player for Christmas. This one: https://djcj.website/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/denim_turntable.jpg https://djcj.website/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/denim_turnta... My mom had a copy of Ray Charles' greatest hits. My favorite song was One Mint Julep. Quincy Jones did the arrangement. You can see by the wear on this record how much I listened to that song, as well as "Unchain My Heart" and "Hit the Road Jack." https://djcj.website/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/one-mint-julep-worn-grooves-1536x2048.jpg https://djcj.website/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/one-mint-jul... So much great music. And when you watch interviews with other musicians with whom he crossed paths, they all talk about what an uplifting and positive influence he had on their lives. Here's a interview with his longtime collaborator Tom Bähler. He has some really beautiful stories about his experiences with Quincy. https://youtu.be/yIkP_XuIDeY?t=5197 https://youtu.be/yIkP_XuIDeY?t=5197 And when he got together with Rod Temperton, the magic was next-level. https://www.facebook.com/QuincyJones/posts/ill-never-forget-when-rod-temperton-came-out-from-the-uk-to-visit-me-6-months-be/10155701273584631/ https://www.facebook.com/QuincyJones/posts/ill-never-forget-...
- SoftTalker 2y agoOh wow, I had that same Sears record player as a kid, not in denim mine had a vinyl covering. Flashback memories!
- wiz21c 2y agosoul bossa nova !
- bewaretheirs 2y agoAs performed on the David Letterman show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQ7xYnyIBQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQ7xYnyIBQ You can see a few shots of the Cuica -- the drum(!) that makes the high-pitched squeaky monkey noises. And for fans of video game music: that song inspired this little bit from the 8-bit big band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6hJvSkVLXs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6hJvSkVLXs
- kridsdale3 2y agoThank you! I collect variants of the Wii Shop song on various platforms, its one of my favorite songs from gaming and certainly my favorite dedicated-to-a-single-ui arrangements of music in software. The Wii interface was a high watermark of style. Nintendo was clearly riding high aping aspects of Apple style in the 2000s but adding all the audio personality made it their own. Others were also invested in making something unique for the TV as an interface paradigm (Xbox 360 Blades, PS2/3 "orchestra" themes). Most of that has died away for practicality (and maybe accessibility) sake now, to flat boxes with minimal animation and no sound. I looked it up, and all the Wii system audio was done by the same composer that did Pikmin, as well as dozens of other core (but secondary) Nintendo IP over the decades.
- bewaretheirs 2y agoThat's an oddly narrow focus! Nintendo appears to make the musical elements of its work a priority and it's good to see it escaping the game console into live performance -- following in the footsteps of both show tunes and movie music..
- jakedata 2y agoHe is a man who might be considered the musical godfather to perhaps millions of children throughout the years. He sure could set a mood.
- sirolimus 2y agoWho is quincy jones?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- rootusrootus 2y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones
- boothby 2y agoIt's funny, in high school, we attended assemblies in the Quincy Jones Auditorium. Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee attended the same high school, which we all knew, but Quincy Jones just didn't have the same name recognition. Despite his name being right in our faces so frequently. Over the decades since I graduated, I've taken some time to learn about the incredible influence he's had on the arts. Just recently, I learned that an actor I've watched in a few shows, Rashida Jones, is his daughter. To briefly answer your question, his occupation was producer, arranger, composer and songwriter. Such folks often don't get name recognition without extensive self-promotion. You might be familiar with his work, without learning his name because he wasn't on the headline. But his work went deeper than that -- he was a community builder; that's work which is hard to measure the value of: to anybody that doesn't post here... who is Paul Graham?
- breadwinner 2y agoNo Bruce Lee didn't, but his wife did. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_High_School_(Seattle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_High_School_(Seattle)
- boothby 2y agoI stand by the part where I said we all "knew" it at the time; his picture was included in a mural and everything! But, thanks, TIL! Your reference doesn't support the negative claim, but I found a really cool deep dive here: https://iexaminer.org/uncovering-bruce-lees-public-school-years/ https://iexaminer.org/uncovering-bruce-lees-public-school-ye...
- _sys49152 2y agoId go with "The Secret Garden" from 1989's Back on the Block Album if youre looking for something different. Quintessential 'quiet storm' track.
- moomin 2y agoFirst African-American to be nominated for Best Song at the Oscars (not the first winner, that was Isaac Hayes for the obvious.) Guy who made Michael Jackson and Will Smith megastars. And a LOT more. He was one of the most talented people of his, or frankly any, generation.
- racl101 2y agoThe closing theme to the Fresh Prince is still one of the best musical TV pieces ever.
- mr90210 2y agoI got reintroduced to Quincy by The Weeknd and later by the great Francis Albert Sinatra a.k.a Frank Sinatra.
- fatata123 2y ago[dead]
- kranke155 2y ago*From a strictly musical perspective, what have you done that you’re most proud of?* That anything I can feel, I can notate musically. Not many people can do that. I can make a band play like a singer sings. That’s what arranging is, and it’s a great gift. I wouldn’t trade it for shit. https://www.vulture.com/article/quincy-jones-in-conversation.html https://www.vulture.com/article/quincy-jones-in-conversation...
- hn_throwaway_99 2y agoI recently watched "The Greatest Night in Pop" about the "We Are The World" recording, and I came away with even more huge mad props for Quincy Jones. The ability to arrange all these superstar musicians with insanely different voices into one cohesive, melodic song is amazing. Not to mention that corralling all these diva personalities makes cat herding look like a cake walk.
- giraffe_lady 2y agoWhat a fucking flex lol. I have rudimentary arranger skills, enough to understand the pain of simply not being capable of expressing something I can feel/hear internally. He really could do that on a level that very few people ever have been able to. Legend.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- JohnBooty 2y agoWhat a fucking flex lol I don't have a link handy but another hilarious thing to look up is Quincy talking about the Beatles' (lack of, in his opinion) chops I love the Beatles but it's endlessly hilarious to me
- LoopingBack 2y ago[dead]
- fredsmith219 2y agoAn amazingly talented person.
- sporkland 2y agoStarla is crushed right now
- jms703 2y agoThat reference was solid as a rock.
- ethbr1 2y agoI had the honor of slipping in the back door of the GA Music Hall of Fame's 2006 induction as a then-gf's +1 on some 99X radio tickets she'd won. Quincy Jones (and Russell Simmons) were there to induct Jermaine Dupri. https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/28th-annual-georgia-music-hall-of-fame-awards-september-16-2006 https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/28th-annual-georgia-music... Such an amazing guy, who'd done so much, and still obviously just loved the craft. (Gregg Allman was also there, who passed in 2017, but at the time was still doing 6 hour live shows with new talent he wanted to introduce. Security guard when we showed up to his concert an hour late: "Naw, man, Gregg goes until 1 or 2am")
- schainks 2y agoThe Netflix documentary Quincy is an excellent watch, as Quincy takes you through all kinds of highlights and lowlights of his career and personal life (including his objectively bad dad skills). My favorite two tidbits: - Sinatra single-handedly forced casinos in Vegas to treat black performers properly. He was Big Mad when he found out Quincy and the black band members were forced to sleep across town from The Sands. - Buzz Aldrin played Quincy's arrangement of "Fly Me to the Moon" on the moon! RIP Quincy, thanks for "only" twelve notes ;)
- smortaz 2y agomy favorite story about quincy is that at as a 22 year old he was selected as the music arranger for dizzy gillespie’s band, and they all went to iran and gave a series of concerts. around 1954. RIP.
- pishpash 2y agoWhat is interesting is that, Joe Hisaishi is a pseudonym named after Quincy Jones. As he became better known, Hisaishi formulated an alias inspired by American musician and composer Quincy Jones: "Quincy", pronounced "Kuinshī" in Japanese, can be written using the same kanji in "Hisaishi"; and "Joe" came from "Jones".[1] 久石譲 = Kyū Ishi Jō = Quincy Jones, as it were... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Hisaishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Hisaishi
- msephton 2y agoLove this
- danielodievich 2y agoQuincy Jones went to Garfield High school in Seattle's Central District, I lived very close to it for a while. Garfield and nearby community are very proud of that. The city/school district did an amazing job rebuilding their performing arts center to the world standards as part of a comprehensive and expensive renovation back in 2008 https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2024/11/legacy-of-a-central-district-musical-giant-will-live-on-at-garfield-high-schools-quincy-jones-performance-center/ https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2024/11/legacy-of-a-centr.... It is a lovely venue now, much appreciated by the local community. Quincy came back in 2022 for the 100 year anniversary of the school too, very lovely celebration.
- shermantanktop 2y agoI went to Garfield. Quincy Jones got the auditorium named after him, well deserved. Jimi Hendrix, on the other hand, got a small bust tucked into the back of the library, over the protests of various busybody types. Granted, he neither graduated nor celebrated his Garfield roots, but… come on.
- WalterBright 2y agoI am forever grateful to QJ for his work on Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" album, one of the greatest albums ever. I still remember the first time I heard it at a party. OMG.
- msephton 2y agoLet's not forget Rod Temperton's song writing input on Of The Wall (and Thriller).
- porbelm 2y ago[dead]
- msephton 2y agoMy favourite thing about Quincy Jones was how he would get himself into a liminal state, somewhere between awake and sleep, to have all his best ideas. He called it the Alpha State. Mentioned here: https://www.clashmusic.com/features/in-conversation-questlove/ https://www.clashmusic.com/features/in-conversation-questlov...