Quincy Jones created the future

When the 1997 comedy Austin Powers needed a song to convey the swinging 60s in its gleefully absurd opening sequenceThe film could have gone for obvious touchstones like British Invasion rock or sitar-soaked psychedelia. Instead, he used an unusual piece of Quincy Jones’ samba jazz. It was an inspired choice. Jones song 1962 “Soul of Bossa Nova” was certainly an artifact of its decade, reflecting the emerging international fascination with Brazilian rhythms at the time. But the track was more than just a time capsule; its hooting percussion and brash flutes blasted out of the speakers in a way that still sounds original, even alien, decades later.

Jones, a legendary polymath who died Sunday at age 91, spent his life making this kind of music—music that defined its era by transcending it. It is best associated with the shiny, lush sound of jazz and pop music of the 70s and 80s, most often heard on Michael Jackson albums. from the wall, ThrillerAnd Bad. But its influence was greater than any other sound or era, as Jones used his talent and experience to design a future that we still strive for today.

Jones was born into terrible conditions in Depression-era Chicago: His mother was committed to a mental hospital when he was 7, leaving him to be temporarily raised by his grandmother, who was so poor she cooked rats for food. When Jones was 11 years old, after his family moved to Washington state, he and his brother broke into a building looking for food and came across a piano; playing with the instrument lit a fire in young Jones. He spent his teenage years hanging out with Ray Charles and playing trumpet in Count Basie’s orchestra; At age 20, he began touring the world as part of Lionel Hampton’s big band. After producing Dinah Washington’s album in 1955, For lovershe traveled to Paris to study with the famous classical music teacher Nadia Boulanger, who also mentored Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland.

These early encounters with the genius—and travels around the world that introduced him to vast musical traditions—gave him skills he would use for the rest of his life. Boulanger, Jones often said later: drilled into it recognition of the endless possibilities contained within music theory. Mastery, she told him, lies in understanding how previous greats creatively used the same 12 notes that were available to everyone else. Jones took the idea to heart. His work was distinguished by its combination of compositional rigor and freedom; knowing what had come before allowed him to arrange familiar sounds in a somehow fresh way.

Let’s take for example Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit “It’s My Party.” which Jones produced. The song is a key lyric of mid-century girl group pop – Phil Spector tried to use the song for the Crystals – but what made it take off were Jones’s touches: harmonious solutions that feel very important. turned offLatin syncopations pulsate throughout. You can hear the same eclectic, colorful elements in another American standard arranged by Jones: the 1964 Frank Sinatra and Count Basie version. “Send Me to the Moon” (which is Buzz Aldrin listened before reaching the lunar surface in 1969).

Even though Jones studied with classical academics and jazz exponents, he seemed to have a pop soul: he used precise technique not to impress fans, but to convey emotion in an accessible and bold way. “Streetbeater“, theme song for Sanford and Sonsused spiky, tangled percussion to create sizzling excitement; change of tempo in “Killer Joe” from Jones’ 1969 album, Walk in spaceopened the oasis of the cooling flute. 1985 Anthem for famine relief in Africa “We Are the World” was a particularly generous display of talent. Not any producer could combine 46 vocalists, including such distinctive voices as Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner, into one cohesive and memorable whole.

Jones’ iconic collaborator was Michael Jackson. This kinship made sense: the two men shared a sense of rhythm, a sense of history, and perfectionism. “He had an eye for detail that was second to none,” Jones said of Jackson in a 2018 interview. GQ interview. “His idols are Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, James Brown and all of them. And he paid attention, and that’s what you have to do.” For all the Jacksons scandals and eccentricity, the music he made with Jones was never overshadowed. songs too intricately beautiful, pleasing the hips, hearts and heads all at once to be denied.

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As Jones achieved his status as a living icon, he attempted to pass on his wisdom to new generations. In 1992, he founded a hip-hop magazine. Atmosphere; in 2017, he launched Qwest TV, a video streaming service for jazz performances. He continued to work with young talents such as Amy Winehouse in 2010 and avant-garde composer Jacob Collier much later. Despite this, in later life Jones liked to complain about the state of pop music. In his opinion, modern artists are not educated enough and do not have a broad outlook to open new horizons. “Today’s musicians can’t fully engage in music because they haven’t done their homework with their left hemisphere,” he said. New York magazine in 2018. “Music is emotions And science.” He added: “Do these musicians know tango? Macumba? Yoruba music? Samba? Bossa Nova? Salsa? Cha-cha?

However, it is clear that he still has students today – although perhaps some of them misunderstand his lessons, trying to nostalgically imitate his work rather than learn his methods to create something different. I, for one, have conflicting feelings about the Weeknd, the stylized pop star who is hell-bent on recapturing the magic of Jones and Jackson’s hot streak. Jones himself appeared during the Weeknd’s 2022 halftime release. Rassvet FM. He told a story about childhood trauma that carried through his adult life and concluded by saying, “Looking back is a bitch, isn’t it?” The point, he said, was to use the past to keep moving forward.