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Iconic record producer Quincy Jones passed away on Sunday, November 3, 2024. His publicist, Arnold Robinson, released a statement following the songwriter's death. Jones was 91 and was in his Bel-Air residence at the time, where his final moments were spent surrounded by family.
The statement further read:
"Although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."
Jones, who was nominated for Grammy 80 times (and won 28 of them), was not only recognized for his musical compositions but also for his collaborations with the greatest artists in the music industry.
In light of Quincy Jones' passing, here's a look at five of his best song compositions to date and the top artists he had worked with in his career.
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Top musical artists Quincy Jones worked with
1) Frank Sinatra
Qunicy Jones considered Frank Sinatra one of his music idols. He shared a Facebook post on December 11, 2024, which would have been the Sinatra's 99th birthday, where he mentioned that he was first acquainted with the Stardust singer in 1958. That's when the duo worked together to raise money for the United Nations Refugee Fund.
Sinatra had approached Jones at the time, asking him to assemble an orchestra for a concert to be held at the principality's Sporting Club. Following the successful concert, the artists got together six years later when Sinatra asked Quincy Jones to conduct a recording session that birthed Fly Me To The Moon, an instant and timeless hit, and It Might As Well Be Swing.
It was during these sessions that the two became close friends, with the record producer writing about Sinatra in his memoir, Q:
"Frank was my style. He was hip, straight up, and straight ahead, and above all, a monster musician."
Jones was also the producer of the last album Sinatra recorded, LA Is My Lady, in 1984.
2) Miles Davis
By the time Quincy Jones entered the entertainment industry, Miles Davis was already a recognized trumpeter. According to a Facebook post uploaded by Jones in May 2016, he had met Davis for the first time at New York's Downbeat Club, when the former was only 18.
The duo teamed up much later, in the years before Davis' death. Quincy approached the jazz musician in 1989 to work on his award-winning jazz project, Back on The Block.
Two years later, the duo collaborated on a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1991 - with Gil Evans. The concert was such a hit that it resulted in the release of a posthumous album titled Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux in 1993.
On his birthday in May 26, 2016, Quincy shared a picture of Davis on Facebook with a quote:
"Miles Davis was the Picasso of jazz. He could paint pictures with his music."
3) Dizzy Gillespie
Quincy Jones was a long-time fan of Dizzy Gillespie. According to his Facebook post dated October 21, 2017, the record producer had loved Gillespie since he was 12 years old.
Jones first got the opportunity to work with Dizzy as a jazz trumpeter; he was 22 at the time. Dizzy was asked by the US government to organize a band to travel the world as America's first jazz ambassador, and Quincy was a part of it.
The tour was a major success and led to Quincy Jones producing Gillespie's albums, including New Wave, in the future. Following his death, the producer wrote a heartfelt note for him on what would have been his 100th birthday. The same Facebook post mentioned above read:
"He truly was everything I wanted to be as a musician, & I’m forever grateful to him for giving me one of my first big breaks... He truly taught me so much about how to handle responsibility & gave me the confidence to confront whatever I was presented with."
4) Aretha Franklin
Quincy Jones first worked with Aretha Franklin in 1973, when the singer-songwriter asked for his help with producing her nineteenth studio album, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky).
Not only did Jones co-produce her LP, but he also helped engineer several tracks on it, and co-wrote Just Right Tonight—a track that featured a piano solo by Billy Peston. The album peaked at number 30 on the Billboard chart, reaching number 2 on the R&B list.
In August 2018, after Franklin died, Quincy Jones told Rolling Stones:
"I treasured every moment that we spent together, from working in the recording studio to performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial or simply hanging in the kitchen, and I will miss her dearly."
5) Michael Jackson
In May 2021, Quincy Jones told The Hollywood Reporter that he met Michael Jackson for the first time at Sammy Davis’s house when he was 12. The two decided to work on The Wiz, a 1978 movie adapted from Broadway.
During the same meeting, the singer asked Jones for suggestions from producers for his upcoming album, which the latter ended up producing himself. A year later, their first collaboration (and Jackson's fifth studio album)—Off the Wall—was released. According to Amazon, the album sold over 20 million copies.
The duo continued to work together, dropping Michael Jackson's sixth album titled Thriller, three years later. As stated on Guinness World Records website, Thriller became the highest-selling album of all time, having sold over 67 million copies globally.
In 1987, Bad was their third and final collaboration. Being Jackson's seventh studio album, it sold 45 million copies, as per the legend's official website.
Quincy Jones is survived by his seven children, including actress Rashida Jones.
