The Arranger

The Man Known as Q

2008-11-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, a famous person can be known just by a single name like Madonna or Cher. But you know you have really made it when all you need is a letter. Quincy Jones is one such person. This American music impresario has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations and won 27 of them. This includes a Grammy Legend Award the Chicago native received in 1991. Quincy Jones produced the top-selling album Thriller, which took Michael Jackson to another level. It has sold 104 million copies worldwide. In 1985, he produced and conducted the famed multi-singer song “We Are the World.” He has been nominated for an Academy Award, won the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award has won BET’s Humanitarian Award. He is also the composer of the popular song, “Soul Bossa Nova,” which was released in 1962.

Smithsonian’s Quincy Jones orchestra program
Quincy Jones is no stranger to the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian orchestra developed the Big Bands Works of Quincy Jones and performed at several cities in the U.S. and Canada. Many times, Jones has lended his expertise to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the institution's jazz and music scholars for several of their projects.

Read more about Jones’ relationship with the Smithsonian
Read more about how Quincy Jones' influence can be felt at certain parts of the Smithsonian. Also, read about his amazing life and accomplishments. All of this can be found by logging on to http://www.smithsonianmag.com/.

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Quincy Jones: The Musician and the Arranger

2008-10-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

Quincy Jones is known throughout the music industry as being one of the most significant musicians and arrangers the world has ever seen. He has helped bring music to the masses and is widely credited for a wide range of talents including: arranging, conducting, a music impresario, record producer, film composer and trumpet player extraordinaire. Over his five decades in the music industry, he has amassed a wealth of awards including an incredible 27 Grammy Awards.

Quincy Jones Relied on Music Growing Up
Growing up, Quincy Jones did not have it easy. His mother was mentally ill and in and out of mental institutions. During these dark periods in his life he turned to his love of music to help him through the day. Quincy Jones first learned to play the piano and then in his early teens fell in love with the trumpet after hearing a musician at the local barber shop playing. Quincy Jones has enormous musical talent and was a quick learner. As he grew as a trumpet player, he played with the best names in the business and ultimately made a name for himself.

Quincy Jones Becomes an Arranger
Throughout the years, Quincy Jones branched out within the music industry and found fame and fortune as an arranger. To read more about this incredible musical genius, the Smithsonian Magazine offers an article on Quincy Jones. To read it, please visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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The Musical Genius of Quincy Jones

2008-10-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

For those that love jazz, pop, rhythm and blues, etc you probably have heard either a piece played by Quincy Jones or arranged by Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones is a musical master and an American Icon. Throughout his life, he has achieved numerous awards for his work in music and has touched countless musicians inspiring them to be great. For those that enjoy music, the Smithsonian Magazine offers a fascinating article on the arranger- Quincy Jones.

Quincy Jones: Early Life and Stardom
Quincy Jones was born into modest beginnings and found music at a relatively young age. His mother, beset by mental illness was in and out of psychiatric institutions from time to time. To deal with this monumental blow, Quincy Jones turned to music during the tough times. Throughout his life, Quincy Jones has found music. It started when he first played the piano in an old rec room at the age of 12 and advanced when he saw a trumpeter in a barber shop during his teenage years. As his life progressed, he became a master musician that played with the greats and then went on to be one of the world’s finest musical arrangers.

Read More About Quincy Jones
For those fascinated with Quincy Jones, the Smithsonian Magazine offers an excellent article on the man, the musician and his music. To read it, please visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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The Musical Arranger

2008-09-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

Quincy Jones is one of the most successful musicians, producers and arrangers in the music business today. While he has been on the scene for more than half a century, he did come from humble beginnings and has made a successful career through lots of hard work, determination and raw talent. For those that are fascinated about the life of Quincy Jones, the Smithsonian Magazine has an article about this incredible arranger.

Quincy Jones Early Life
Quincy Jones had an ear for music from the very beginning. In his early years, he and his friends came across an old piano in a rec room, and once Quincy Jones put his fingers on the keys, he knew he found his true love. Throughout the years, Quincy’s mother was very sick with mental illness and consistently admitted into institutions. Quincy relied on music to get him through the tough times. As he became older, he heard a trumpet playing at a barber shop and immediately became enamored. After quickly learning to play the trumpet, he started to find jobs with some of the most successful and well known musicians in the business which ultimately led him to stardom.

For those fascinated with Quincy Jones and his musical abilities, the Smithsonian Magazine has an article on the subject. To read it, visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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The Music and Arrangement of Quincy Jones

2008-09-22T11:53:00.001-07:00

One of the great musicians of our time is Quincy Jones, however, this talent is not only famous for being a great jazz musician, but an accomplished arranger. He has won many Grammy awards and has worked with some of the most famous musicians in the world, whether as part of a collaboration in pop, jazz, blues and even hip hop he has succeed.

Quincy Jones has an Impressive Story
Quincy Jones had a difficult childhood and was lucky enough to find music which helped him during this difficult time. His mother suffered from mental illness and she was many times institutionalized. However, at these difficult times, Quincy Jones relied on his talents and his hobby-music. First as a talented piano player and then as a trumpet player, Quincy Jones met and played with some of the most respected jazz musicians. As the decades passed, many seeked Quincy’s expertise as a phenomenal arranger and today, he is definitely seen by many in the music industry as a wizard or jack of all trades.

For those fascinated with Quincy Jones, the Smithsonian Magazine as an interesting article on his life and talent. To read it, please visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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Quincy Jones: A Musical Great

2008-09-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you love music, whether it is jazz, pop, soul etc you probably have great admiration for Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones is one of the most successful and talented musicians, producers and arrangers this country has ever seen. From playing the trumpet as a teenager, to making the right connections within the music world Quincy Jones has gone on to compose, play and arrange some of the most popular music that has ever been produced.

Music as Life
Music was an extremely important part of Quincy Jones’s life. Since an early age, Quincy Jones used music as a tool to get him through the tough times. Unfortunately, his mother was mentally ill and would spend long bouts in mental institutions. This had a huge effect on Quincy Jones and he relied on music to escape. Thankfully, music was the gift that allowed him to be creative, find a community that he found support in and made him fantastically rich and famous as he succeeded beyond anyone’s imagination.

Learn More About This Fascinating Musical Legend
To learn more about Quincy Jones, the American musical icon, Smithsonian Magazine has put together an insightful article regarding his life and achievements. Please visit our main magazine website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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The Musical Master Quincy Jones

2008-08-24T07:05:00.001-07:00

Quincy Jones is one of the most respected and recognizable music icons in the world. However, his beginnings were extremely humble, but with perseverance, raw talent and his ability to make the right connections, he grew to one of the best composers producers and arrangers in the music industry.

Life didn’t start out easy for Quincy Jones he thankfully had music as a tool to fall back on and to help him through the tough times. His mother was mentally ill and spent time in and out of many mental institutions. This has a huge affect on Quincy Jones, however he leaned on music and this resource ultimately made him a legend.

Quincy JonesQuincy Jones truly had lots of talent. He originally started playing the piano, however after hearing a barber playing the trumpet he immediately became obsessed with it and rose to be one of the best trumpet musicians in Chicago during the 50’s. With lots of talent and connections such as Cab Calloway, Count Basie and others, he rose to the pinnacle of the music industry and started to arrange.

The Smithsonian Magazine has an extremely interesting article regarding Quincy Jones, for those interested in this musical genius, please visit us at our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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Quincy Jones: A Musical Master

2008-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Quincy Jones is a name that is renown in the music industry. Throughout the decades, the accomplishments and contributions that Quincy Jones has made to jazz, pop, R&B and other genres are awe-inspiring. He is a man that is known in all music circles and beloved by the public. While his music is extremely interesting and enjoyable, his life is also fascinating- from his humble beginnings, to stardom, to literally a pop culture icon. There are few individuals in music that have excelled so far and Quincy Jones is definitely one of them- a true musical master.

Quincy Jones Started from Humble Beginnings
The life of Quincy Jones started from humble beginnings. While he always loved music, it became a necessity and a place where he could find solace early on. His mother- mentally ill spent her life in and out of mental hospitals and music for Quincy Jones was more than just a hobby, but a way to get him through the tough times. His first experience with a musical instrument came at the age of 11, when he and his friends broke into a recreation room on the Army base where they were working. Quincy Jones approached the rec room piano and tried to play a few notes. At that moment he states “every cell in my body said this is what you will do for the rest of your life.”

Quincy Jones taught himself popular songs on the piano and enjoyed composing new ones- even before he learned the technical aspects of playing the piano effectively. And it wasn’t just the piano he was enamored with, when he heard a barber in town playing the trumpet, he again was enamored and resolute on learning to play this musical instrument as well.

Playing with the Greats
Quincy Jones was not only talented enough to learn and play musical instruments such as the piano and trumpet extremely well, but was lucky enough to meet and play with the right people. After the war, Quincy Jones, would sneak into nightclubs and watch jazz greats Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and more (most of whom he would develop personal relationships and play with in the years to come.

For those that enjoy music and are interested in this musical legend, Smithsonian Magazine has a fascinating article available on the life and work of Quincy Jones. You can read it at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

Quincy Jones, Forbidden City, Glacier National Park, Wrigley Field

Quincy Jones: An American Musical Icon

2008-07-20T13:26:00.001-07:00

Quincy Jones is known as one of the biggest musical talents this country has ever seen. Starting out his career as a teenaged trumpet player, Quincy Jones made the right connections and had the drive and desire to compose, produce and arrange.

Quincy Jones used music as a tool to get him through the tough times. His mother, mentally ill spent time in and out of mental institutions which had a huge affect on Quincy Jones. He used the power of music to get him through these dark periods.

Quincy Jones not only had drive, but inherent talent that made him a quick learner. Originally playing the piano, after hearing a barber in town playing the trumpet, Quincy Jones immediately became enamored with its sweet sound and learned to play it on his own. From this point on, fate took him to the biggest clubs in Chicago meeting some of the best jazz musicians and innovators of the day. During the 1950’s Quincy Jones played with greats such as Cab Calloway, Count Basie and others.

To learn more about this American musical icon, Smithsonian has put together an insightful article regarding Quincy Jones. Please visit our main magazine website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

Quincy Jones, Glacier National Park, Wrigley Field

Quincy Jones Becomes the Arranger

2008-07-07T06:33:00.001-07:00

Quincy Jones started out his career in music as a teenaged trumpet player. And while Jones would have had an important place in music even if he’d only played trumpet and nothing else, it was Quincy Jones’ emerging talents in composing, producing, and arranging that made the man a legend in the music industry. He became the man behind the scenes who made music happen.

Quincy Jones always had a love of music. With a mentally ill mother in and out of mental hospitals, Jones counted on creating music to get him through. He had his first real contact the piano at age 11, when, working on the Army base, he and some friends broke into a recreation room. When Quincy Jones touched that rec room piano for the first time, he says that “every cell in my body said this is what you will do for the rest of your life.”

And it was. Quincy Jones created a relationship with that piano, teaching himself popular songs and composing new ones even before learning a thing about the technical aspects of music. And when he heard a barber in town playing the trumpet soon afterwards, he fell in love. He was determined to play one himself.

So began his life in the nightclubs of Seattle. After the war, Quincy Jones started sneaking into clubs to watch the jazz greats: Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, and others. These men must have seen something in Quincy Jones, because Count Basie took Jones under his wing when he was just a 13 year old boy, and Basie’s trumpeter, Clark Terry, began to give the boy music lessons. And history was made.

During the 1950s, Quincy Jones was constantly on tour. Working with Lionel Hampton, he traveled and toured over Europe and South America, learning something new and incorporating new sounds from every place he visited. He loved traveling so much that, in 1959, he put together a band to tour Europe. Violence in Paris put the tour to an end, but Quincy Jones just kept on-- the band played for almost a year, and instead of making money, Jones spent it. By the end of the European tour Jones was $145,000 in debt.

The Arranger

Throughout his career, Quincy Jones didn’t just play music for the bands he worked with-- he composed, produced, and most of all arranged it. This continued through the 1950s and 60s until in 1963, only a year after being appointed Vice President of Mercury Records (the first black executive at a major label), he struck gold with a 16-year-old singer named Lesley Gore. “It’s My Party” was recorded in 1963, the first of 17 hits by Lesley Gore. And Quincy Jones cemented his position as one of the most respected producers in music.

Jones would go on to become the first African-American to become a prominent composer for films, as well as a conductor, a producer, and an arranger. To learn more about the incredible career of Quincy Jones, visit the Smithsonian Magazine Website at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

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