The Quincy movie was absolutely inspiring and legendary. Born Quincy Delight Jones Jr., he was raised on the south side of Chicago, same as myself, in the 30s. At a young age, his mother Sarah Jones, was diagnosed as schizophrenia dementia Praecox. The story that hunts his mind till this day is when his mother was carried carried out of their family home with a straight jacket on. After his mother was put in in a mental rehabilitation center, he lived solely with his father and siblings and grandmother. His father was a carpenter and this grandmother Susan Jones , was a former slave. The south side of Chicago in the 30s was growing of violence and gang activity, therefore this family to Washington state.
One night as an adolescent Quincy broke into an armory and found his passion. He saw his future in front of his eyes, a piano. As a youthful man he played multiple different instrument including the trombone and the French horn but he choose the trumpet. When he was 14 years old, he played in a band in a club. While working in the club he met the young Ray Charles Robinson. Now known as the prominent Ray Charles. They developed a brotherly relationship.
Quincy joined the Lionel Hampton band when he was 18 years old. It gave a head start in the music industry. He left the band to head to New York with his wife Jeri Caldwell and daughter to explore his writing and to see what the new type of sound that was sweeping the nation, Bebop.
New to New York and wanting to find a job he hung out in bars where one day he met Diana Washington. He wrote her record “ For those who love” it gained so much popularity. Work began to flow afterwards. He started to work with more with Ray Charles, dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and many more prominent musicians.
New York would not allow blacks to arrange and write for strings so In 1957 he then went to Pairs. He studied with Nadia Boulanger queen of classical music.
In 1959 he assembled a band called Free and Easy with left him in a lot of deft. In 1962 he was working at an executive at Mercy record. First African American vice President of a major record label. At this time he was $145,000 in the hole from his former band.
In 1964 he Arrange and conduct Frank Sinatra next album. A great high during his carer. He became First African-American nominated for best original song Oscar,First African-American nominated for best original song and best song in the same year and,First African-American to conduct the Academy Awards orchestra. During all his achievements he had two brain surgeries and after was permitted to play the trumpet.
After the surgeries he go the opportunity to produce the music for the wiz. Quincy became very close to Michael Jackson and next was part of the production of Jackson “Off the Wall” album. Then came the “Color Purple” . In 1999 he produced the “Black On The Block” album the genres it contained R&B, hip-hop, new jack swing, and jazz. He created his own magazine called “vibe” for Rapers. Quincy Jones became more than producer but in an inspirer. He spoke to the youth and gave them wisdom, was apart of the United Nations in 1999. Quincy is more or less the man of many talents. No one can put in one category. He has done almost everything in the music industry plus out of it. Quincy is a beautiful movie and should seen by all to understand the definition of black excellence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGY0OH_OeVU
