A musical monument disappears. The genius producer and arranger Quincy Jones, at the origin of hits by the greatest American artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 91, announced the Associated Press agency.
He died at his home in Bel Air, Los Angles, surrounded by his family. “Tonight we are heartbrokendeclares his family in a press release. This is a tremendous loss for our family, we celebrate his incredible life journey and we know there will never be anyone like him.”
Jazzman, composer and creator with a certain taste, his studio musicianship and arranging prowess allowed him to join the constellation of 20th century music stars. From Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, from jazz to hip-hop, Quincy Jones has kept his finger on the pulse of pop over a career spanning more than seven decades.
“Quincy Jones was able to use his genius to translate it into any type of sound”
Born March 14, 1933 in the slums of Chicago, he rose to prominence in the 1950s as an arranger for stars such as Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Count Basie and the legend Ray Charles. He played the second trumpet on Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley and teamed with Dizzy Gillespie for several years before moving to Paris in 1957, where he studied with the famous composer Nadia Boulanger.
Quincy Jones also established himself in Hollywood, where he composed music for films and television shows.
While composing his own hits, like Soul Bossa Novahe has arranged at a breakneck pace for dozens of industry stars.
But he is also best known as the producer of Michael Jackson’s albums. Off the Wall, Thriller et Bad. “Quincy did it all. He was able to take his genius and translate it into any type of sound,” jazz pianist Herbie Hancock told PBS in 2001.He’s not afraid of anything. If you want Quincy to do something, you tell him he can’t do it. And of course he will.”
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