Q Turns 75 Today!

[Teasing the Korean]

Yeah, I know he's controversial, but Happy Birthday.

[Christiern]

Let us send good thoughts to all the creative people whose work this man took credit for.

[7/4]

who?

.

[JSngry]

[JSngry]

[7/4]

oh...there was a controversy?

.

[JSngry]

Let us send good thoughts to all the creative people whose work this man took credit for.

That's been well documented, at least anecdotally (but reliably, I think), but what I wonder is when that type "behavior" became his M.O. Was it before or after his European sojourn with his band, which by all accounts was an ill-fated, mind-numbing, gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, wallet-emptying labor of love for all concerned. If he was already doing this before that, then, hey, not a lot of "sympathy" here, but if it was afterwards, then I can at least chalk it up to Music Industry Cynicism Brought About By Hyper-Reality Overdose.

In fairness, though, the guy does have skills of his own, and they are not insignificant. Which makes his..ahem..."reliance" on others something that I myself see no need to cover up. You produced a session, you conducted a session, if you didn't do all the writing yourself, what's the big deal?

But apparently it was... Ego's a bitch, I suppose.

[Larry Kart]

I hear he was going to pay Billy Byers to celebrate it for him.

[Christiern]

I hear he was going to pay Billy Byers to celebrate it for him.

Pay? Well, I think that may be a new wrinkle!

[Teasing the Korean]

Many LPs that have Q's name on them are really great, regardless of who made them happen.

[Noj]

I take it Chris prefers this Q...

The version of "Summer In The City" under Quincy's name is one of my all-time favorites.

[Larry Kart]

Many LPs that have Q's name on them are really great, regardless of who made them happen.

What's weird about this is that while Q's own writing had a readily identifiable clever-hip sound (too clever-hip for some, but certainly clever-hip) -- it can be heard on all the material he produced for various EmArcy dates and on his own fine ABC-Paramount album "This Is How I Feel About Jazz" --none of the stuff that he did not write but did but put his name on (good though it might be) had any trace of that "Q" sound at all. You'd think that either he or his "ghosts" would want those faux Q charts to sound like something Q had in fact written.

[JSngry]

Again I have to ask - did the credit-theft begin before the European trip by Jones' orchestra or after?

[Christiern]

The first time I had an inkling of Quincy doing that sort of thing was in 1961, when Melba Liston all but told me as much.

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm no Quincy expert, to put it mildly -- (I'm pretty sure seen way more of Jack Klugman's "Quincy" -- than I've ever heard music by Q) -- but knowing what I've read here and elsewhere about the man...

...I was a touch surprised that he was able to pull off conducting the Miles and Gil Evans charts "reunion" concert in '91. Yeah, I know, they fixed a bit of the recording in post production (or so I've heard, somewhere). But still -- it had to have been at least a "pretty good" performance to begin with (and it was performed and recorded live -- so it's not like a complete cut-n-paste studio job --- like the original (come to think of it ).

In any case, frankly, I'm assuming those kind of charts don't just come off well (or even "pretty well") all on their own, no matter HOW skilled the players. How much credit should one give Q's conducting skills, in terms of this particular effort??

[GA Russell]

Does anyone have an opinion of his Mosaic box?

BMG/Your Music carries six releases of his, including his A&M Walking in Space, which as I recall sold a goodly amount (not that that proves anything). I've been thinking of ordering one of them. Does anyone have an opinion of Walking in Space?

[king ubu]

I like the Mosaic box quite a bit! But I gather that's a decidedly unpopar opinion around here...

[Teasing the Korean]

Does anyone have an opinion of his Mosaic box?

BMG/Your Music carries six releases of his, including his A&M Walking in Space, which as I recall sold a goodly amount (not that that proves anything). I've been thinking of ordering one of them. Does anyone have an opinion of Walking in Space?

I love Walking in Space, and knowing your taste, I think you would too. I'm guessing jazz purists would likely dismiss it though.

[JSngry]

Does anyone have an opinion of his Mosaic box?

BMG/Your Music carries six releases of his, including his A&M Walking in Space, which as I recall sold a goodly amount (not that that proves anything). I've been thinking of ordering one of them. Does anyone have an opinion of Walking in Space?

I love Walking in Space, and knowing your taste, I think you would too. I'm guessing jazz purists would likely dismiss it though.

Not necessarily...I think it's a pretty good album, and it was actually a bit of a "hit".

Pretty stellar lineup, and a classic version of "Killer Joe". Recommended with the caveat that it is "slick", and if that's not something you dig, then hey.

[JSngry]

I'm no Quincy expert, to put it mildly -- (I'm pretty sure seen way more of Jack Klugman's "Quincy" -- than I've ever heard music by Q) -- but knowing what I've read here and elsewhere about the man...

...I was a touch surprised that he was able to pull off conducting the Miles and Gil Evans charts "reunion" concert in '91. Yeah, I know, they fixed a bit of the recording in post production (or so I've heard, somewhere). But still -- it had to have been at least a "pretty good" performance to begin with (and it was performed and recorded live -- so it's not like a complete cut-n-paste studio job --- like the original (come to think of it ).

In any case, frankly, I'm assuming those kind of charts don't just come off well (or even "pretty well") all on their own, no matter HOW skilled the players. How much credit should one give Q's conducting skills, in terms of this particular effort??

I don't think that anybody's questioned his skills, which are ample, and well up to this task, just his ethics about using ghostwriters and such.

And truthfully, the use of ghostwriters has not exactly been uncommon in the business over the years. But it's something that leaves an aftertaste, if you know what I mean.

Still, Quincy Jones has plenty of talent on his own, so the ghostwriter thing was for expediency, not to cover up a lack of skill. But that's all the more reason he should've given credit.

[Teasing the Korean]

Does anyone have an opinion of his Mosaic box?

BMG/Your Music carries six releases of his, including his A&M Walking in Space, which as I recall sold a goodly amount (not that that proves anything). I've been thinking of ordering one of them. Does anyone have an opinion of Walking in Space?

I love Walking in Space, and knowing your taste, I think you would too. I'm guessing jazz purists would likely dismiss it though.

Not necessarily...I think it's a pretty good album, and it was actually a bit of a "hit".

Pretty stellar lineup, and a classic version of "Killer Joe". Recommended with the caveat that it is "slick", and if that's not something you dig, then hey.

I will add that it is "slick" in a groovy pre-1975 way, which is a different aesthetic (generally).

[Christiern]

Quincy Jones is the one who defines "slick" here, and I don't care if it was his work load (don't believe that one), he let his ego stand in the way of other people's careers--there can be no excuse for that. He was a lousy trumpeter and I am not so sure that his arranging talent is as impressive as many people think. Quincy Jones was an exploiter of other people's creative talent and possessing artistic talent of his own does not make that any less despicable, IMHO.

[Teasing the Korean]

I hear you. Still, those are some good albums, regardless of who did the work or who was credited.