In Memoriam: Quincy Jones, Musical Giant For Over Seven Decades

Walt Whitman famously said, “I contain multitudes.”  Without a doubt, multitudes were contained within American music great Quincy Delight Jones, who passed away last week at the age of 91 in Los Angeles.  As a composer, producer, arranger, instrumentalist, record company executive, magazine publisher, film & television composer and producer, philanthropist, mentor and collaborator extraordinaire, Quincy Jones left a deep imprint on American music and culture over the course of more than seven decades.  A 28-time Grammy Award-winner, the Chicago native was also the recipient of a National Medal of Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship and a host of honorary degrees and other accolades.  And, of course, multitudes of musicians, singers and songwriters of the past and present were and are in his debt, and millions of music fans and casual listeners around the world will continue enjoying Quincy Jones’s music for years and years to come.

One event that beautifully summed up the width and breadth of Quincy Jones was the presentation of the ASCAP Pied Piper Award to him at Manhattan’s Nokia Theater in 2008 as he turned 75.  Artists and associates from every phase of his storied career were on hand to perform and reminisce, from Clark Terry (who gave a teenaged Jones trumpet lessons) to Lesley Gore (who became a teen superstar as a result of Quincy’s inspired record production), from James Ingram and Patti Austin (who became pop stars on Jones’s Qwest label) to saxophonist James Moody (whom Jones served as an arranger, composer and producer in the early 1950s). Other performers included Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Tony Bennett, Gloria Estefan, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Take 6 and Al Jarreau. The evening was hosted by then-ASCAP President & Chairman Marilyn Bergman (who co-wrote the theme for In the Heat of the Night with Jones and her husband, Alan Bergman. Commenting on the passing of Quincy, Alan said “Q was a unique human being with special talents as full as an orchestra. Among many other qualities, what other person do you know who has ever lived up to his middle name, “Delight’? He was truly Marilyn’s and my brother. Sleep peaceful, Q”.

Such notable Quincy Jones collaborators as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Cannonball Adderley, Shirley Horn and Peggy Lee must also be mentioned.  And Jones was the producer of the mega-selling albums, Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad which lifted Michael Jackson’s career into the stratosphere. Jones was also the guiding force that brought together the cast of the superstar studded charity single, “We Are the World” by USA for Africa.

Posting on X, ASCAP Board member Jon Batiste wrote of Quincy Jones, “There will never be another. A truly singular example of modern artistic excellence and profound humanity. When I'd call him, he would dive right into telling stories and I was all ears. I wish those conversations had been recorded because they were drenched in unlimited insight, wisdom and soul. Whether it was his equal parts awe-inspiring and ridiculously humorous recounting of how he helped shape cultural history, or our shared love of family, world travels, exploring faith and rising from dark times. Almost everything was discussed, and I was always grateful for our relationship.”

Quincy Jones had a glorious backstory, a finger on the pulse of whatever era he was living in and keen eye and ear for music’s future. One of the rising stars Jones managed, mentored and produced in recent years is ASCAP songwriter and composer Emily Bear. Asked what Jones meant to her, Bear said, “Quincy Jones entered my life when I was 8 years old, and from that moment he became an irreplaceable guiding force. There will never be another like him. His boundless joy and love for his craft, his relentless curiosity and passion for learning, and profound understanding of the human spirit shaped not only my music but the core of who I am. His wisdom, generosity, and unmatched brilliance left a mark on my soul which echoes through my music and that I will carry with me forever.”