1933-2024 | Quincy Jones in four steps

During his 70-year career, Quincy Jones has worked with musical monuments and composed works…monumental, of course.

Frank Sinatra

In 1964, for his second collaboration with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra called on Quincy Jones to take care of the arrangements. Might as Well Be Swing opens with the coin Fly Me to the Moonone of Sinatra's greatest hits. The trio reunited two years later to Sinatra at the Sandsrecorded live in Las Vegas. Sinatra reconnected with Jones in 1984 to produce his final studio album, L.A. Is My Lady. It was also during the recording of this one that Sinatra and Michael Jackson got to know each other.

Michael Jackson

To mark his departure from Motown, Michael Jackson recruited Quincy Jones in 1979 to compose his first album with Epic, Off the Wall. Huge success, it was followed three years later by Thrillerwhich is still the best-selling album of all time. The title piece, Billie Jean, et Beat It – which follow each other! — remain masterpieces of pop music. Jones and Jackson completed their trilogy in 1987 with Badon which we find among other things The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror et Smooth Criminal.

We Are the World

Another memorable collaboration between Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson is for the song We Are the World. Written and composed with Lionel Ritchie and Michael Omartian, it is the main piece of the album of the same name produced in 1985 to fight the famine in Ethiopia. Around forty artists are brought together on the track, including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. The song sold over 20 million copies and its music video remains a highlight of the era.

Cinema and TV

Quincy Jones has composed the soundtracks for nearly 40 films, beginning in 1964 with The Pawnbrokerthen notably In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job et The Getaway in the following years. One of his most iconic soundtracks is that of The Color Purpleby Steven Spielberg. He was also one of the producers of the 11-time Academy Award-nominated feature film in 1986. Jones also produced the series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air then composed the themes of Sanford and Son et The Bill Cosby Show. His music being timeless, his song Soul Bossa Nova, popularized in 1962, became the theme of films Austin Powers… at the turn of the 2000s.