Disappeared at the age of 91 on Sunday night at his opulent home in Bel Air in Los Angeles, Quincy Jones had long-standing relations with France and particularly Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Saint-Tropez where he went every summer in the wake of his great friend Eddie Barclay, like him a producer and musician. He continued to anchor there in recent years for beach outings and long festive nights, before the pandemic and age caught up with him.
Among the circle of (very) close friends, the adopted Tropézienne who almost became a “Madame Jones”, Caroline Barclay, evokes between emotion and admiration this figure of the music business who worked with both Sinatra and Michael Jackson, whose magical trilogy he produced Off the Wall, Thriller et Bad.
How are you coping with this departure of your friend of forty years?
Very difficult to wake up to this news… The messages from the United States don't stop… I had him on video call again just over a month ago. He was weak, walked slowly, but to my knowledge he was not ill and was in his right mind… I had stayed with him last year in Los Angeles. We looked at these thousands of photos full of memories… In fact, he hardly left home since the health crisis for fear of catching covid again which had almost cost him his life… When he received it was also necessary to take a test before entering the door. He had very fragile lungs and had also already had to fight against several pneumonias…
When was the founding meeting with this unique figure?
I met him when I entered Eddie Barclay's life in 1986. Quincy went every summer to the Montreux Jazz Festival of which he was co-producer. We spent our time there with him, surrounded by artists. Fabulous times. Then, he would come back with us to Saint-Tropez to supposedly “rest” (laughing), but in truth we continued in fiesta mode because he loved going out to clubs, whether it was Les Caves du Roy, where the Barclay's Club was housed. at the time, and then with Jean-Roch whom he loved very much. Drinking nights until he stopped drinking about ten years ago! Having Quincy Jones at home in Ramatuelle necessarily meant a visit from all his artist friends. From Jack Nicholson to Liza Minnelli via Elton John and the greatest jazz men while Eddie introduced him to Picasso, Bardot and even Sinatra in Monaco!
France and Quincy a long history?
He arrived at Orsay Station in 1957 with Lionel Hampton's orchestra, of which he was then the trumpet player. Eddie, who was friends with Hampton, hit it off with Quincy and he ultimately stayed in Paris! There a turning point occurred in his career since he became a student of the very influential pianist-composer Nadia Boulanger. With his talents as an arranger, Eddie hired him as artistic director of his record company where he took care of albums by Henri Salvador, Michel Legrand, Aznavour, etc. He also loved the “French” life that Eddie introduced him to. That is to say good meals, great wines… He was both an aesthete and a curious child. He wanted to know everything and see everything without ever thinking of himself as a star even though he was close to Chirac, Clinton or Obama with whom he still spoke regularly by telephone…. He traveled everywhere and spoke fifty languages. His thing was to say that by learning fifty words from all languages, you could communicate everywhere!
Did the friendship with Quincy go well beyond partying?
Yes. He always gave me good advice, particularly on the education of my children. He himself was the exceptional father of seven children from five relationships. They all succeeded tremendously. The daughter he had with Nastassja Kinski is a model and skilled rider, another is an actress-producer, his son is a rap producer, etc. It must be recognized that he was a fantastic father, but also a ladies' man. He himself proposed to me (laughing), which extremely surprised me because I loved him with an unconditional love, but not a physical one. He was more like family. A father figure.
A mischievous genius coupled with a great seducer
When he talks about this musical genius that Eddie Barclay introduced to him thirty years ago, Jean-Roch keeps in his memory for life his discussions on the making of masterpieces for Michael Jackson or behind the scenes of the recording of the anthem “We Are The World”.
“He was a God of music, but what simplicity! After bringing in the greatest musicians on the planet, it was he who had this message affixed to the entrance to the studio: “ Leave your ego in the locker room » ! I also keep from him this mischievous look and the aura of the great seducer », underlines the boss of the VIP Room in transit this Monday between his native Toulon and Saint-Tropez.
Another scene, Ramatuelloise this one, remains. “ When you opened the door to Barclay's, Quincy was always playing the piano! I walked on tiptoe so as not to miss a note and above all not to disturb him. », continues the man who gave Bob Sinclar the surprise of his life by introducing him to the legend one evening in the summer of 2009 at the VIP Room.
The result is a photo together in pure Quincy style, namely with the arm stretched above the head. “ He systematically assumed this pose. I asked him what that meant? He told me that this sign represented the sun! », concludes Jean-Roch who has just lost one of his stars which claimed to be descended from a French musician, Nicolas Lanier, flute and cornet player, who died in 1611.
