OT: Quincy Jones interview out today

[Dave Weiser]

Paul McCartney will never achieve the artistic greatness embodied by Quincy's cover of Birdland.

 

[video:youtube]

 

[Any of you who can last through the entire cheese-tornado are made of sterner stuff than me.]

[p19978]

Anyone who puts out that crap has no room to criticize anyone.

[Dave Ferris]

I'd forgotten about that. My preference is for the original. With that back beat groove and down tempo, for me the tune loses much of its forward motion that made it so infectious.

 

I'm all for jazz solos and guest appearances but the stuff Diz, Moody, Benson and even Sassy are doing here, and the way it's framed within the tune, seems more soundbytish then any definitive statement. They seem to be there more for their name then really adding much musically to this. One guy's opinion.

 

They are many other great tunes he really put his stamp on though.

[zephonic]

To me, Moody's and Benson's solos are cool. It took me days to figure out how Moody went outside there. Memories...

 

Diz and Miles were already physically weak here, and the style doesn't suit Sarah Vaughn's delivery. I thought Ella did well, though.

 

Even though Q brings the cheese, the musicianship is legit, which is often the case with his solo stuff. An artist like MJ reigns in his softcore tendencies and brings something fresh to the table.

 

Still, like Dave says, Q has plenty of awesome solo stuff, too.

 

 

And finally, I don't mean to turn this into a pissing contest, but it doesn't take a whole lot of googling to find some cheeseballs by McCartney, too. How much of his post-Beatles work is legit? I remember "We All Stand Together" from my elementary school days.

 

[Dave Ferris]

And finally, I don't mean to turn this into a pissing contest, but it doesn't take a whole lot of googling to find some cheeseballs by McCartney, too. How much of his post-Beatles work is legit? I remember "We All Stand Together" from my elementary school days.

 

I don't recall that particular song but do agree a good amount of his post-Beatles stuff I didn't care for and much fell into the sap category.

 

Although I still feel "Ram" is a masterpiece ! And there's the classic Maybe I'm amazed off the first solo record. But I had moved on from him when Wings came into being. After Ram, I was pretty much done.

 

But yeah, it apples and oranges to compare the two. I will say after reading comments in many different places today - Q did not do himself a favor going after someone as iconic and beloved as the Beatles, and McCartney and Ringo in particular.

 

Unfortunately he will long be remembered for those comments. He shouldn't be but he will.

[EscapeRocks]

Unfortunately he will long be remembered for those comments. He shouldn't be but he will.

 

Especially the way Q's Vulture interview is being played in the general press. They are using the Vulture interview to portray him as an aging kook.

[AnotherScott]

[Although I still feel "Ram" is a friggin' masterpiece ! And there's the classic Maybe I'm amazed off the first solo record. But I had moved on from him when Wings came into being. After Ram, I was pretty much done.

No Band on the Run?

 

If you haven't heard it, pop open Spotify and check out the album Flowers in the Dirt.

[ProfD]

Yeah, QJ gave his opinion of The Beatles and others. It might seem blasphemous to their legion of fans. But, as a legendary figure in music himself and being 85 uears old, I'd imagine QJ is beyond giving a sh8t about hurt feelings nor his legacy at this point in his life.

[tfort]

Unfortunately he will long be remembered for those comments. He shouldn't be but he will.

 

Especially the way Q's Vulture interview is being played in the general press. They are using the Vulture interview to portray him as an aging kook.

 

As they mentioned at the beginning of the article, there are a Netflix special and a CBS retrospective (hosted by Oprah) coming out soon, ostensibly to celebrate QJ on his 85th birthday. He will be lionized this year. Joe Q. Publics opinion of QJ will be much more shaped by those (presumably fawning) celebrations than any few controversial comments from the interviews.

 

These interviews are merely part of the hype machine to generate buzz for those events.

[Threadslayer]

They are using the Vulture interview to portray him as an aging kook.

Well that inside knowledge of the JFK assassination was getting there kook-wise. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Elvis did it.

[cedar]

This interview actually got the attention of Colbert. He did an amusing bit about it during the opening of his show last night.

[BitBucket]

Q wrote "Soul Bossa Nova" which most would recognize as the "Austin Power's" tune. He was a master of catchy pop tunes like "Sanford and Son", The Bill Cosby Show (Hickey-Burr) theme and a big band favorite "In the Heat of the Night".

 

I think the body of his films scores show he could create music but he seemed to know that arranging covers creatively would result in more commercial sales.

Personally, I don't think he compromised his art with his arranging products because he always created environments to showscase the musicians he selected for the sessions.

 

Recently, he tagged James Carter (tenor sax) for a Monterey Jazz Festival and I was amazed to hear James sit in at the local Hyatt and give a solid 2 hour lesson in the possibilities of the tenor sax. Q always found the next breakthrough players... like his recent patronage of Jacob Collier.

 

It's too bad his final interviews are BS sessions focusing on his sexual exploits and celebrity gossip. But maybe some younger musicians will discover his art as a result. I couldn't agree more with his thoughts on the 4 bar samples that drive me crazy since my brain craves a few surprises when I listen to pop, hip-hop and dance music: 4 bars repeated with out break drives me over the edge.

[poserp]

Paul McCartney will never achieve the artistic greatness embodied by Quincy's cover of Birdland.

 

[video:youtube]

 

[Any of you who can last through the entire cheese-tornado are made of sterner stuff than me.]

 

I almost didn't even hit "play" based on the album cover alone. Quincy is IMO the master of "the right amount of cheese" in pop music; all the MJ stuff features what I'd consider to be "cheesy" instruments put to masterful use. But, yeah... This isn't one of those times. Perhaps it's too many years hunting records in thrift stores, but that "look" w.r.t. album covers to me is a sure sign it's a dud.

[Geoff Grace]

On the subject of 12-tone, this form of composition (created by Arnold Schoenberg) not only requires playing all 12 notes, it requires playing each of the 12 notes an equal amount of times by the end of the composition. 12-tone compositions follow a matrix that's derived mathematically from a 12-tone melody you create. (More here.)

 

While jazz music may have been influenced by 12-tone composition, the strict format involved in playing all 12 tones an equal amount of times is the antithesis of improvisation at the heart of jazz. Now that doesn't mean you can't make 12-tone music swing, just that all solosand harmonies too, for that matterwould have to follow a strict 12-tone matrix.

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[WheelHead]

And that, I think, is the biggest divide between the "serious" (Jazz/Classical) musicians and the "Pop" guys.

 

Pop musicians play 4 chords for 1000 people; jazz musicians play 1000 chords for 4 people. I kid....I kid.....

 

Reminds me of the old adage: "How to make a million playing jazz"

 

Answer: Start with 2 million.

 

Jazz may be a bit crueler than other styles as the best players are like 'fine wine'. Some have to hear only the very best.

 

As it is said, Frank Sinatra went into a venue once as a customer and the piano player yelled, "what do you want to hear Frank!!?" Frank said back, "who me? I want to hear Oscar Peterson."

 

WH

[piano39]

Up until I read this interview, I was a big Quincy Jones fan. Have several LPs and CDs. Read his biography. Would watch some of the movies that he scored just to hear his soundtrack.

 

I can't stand the guy now. What a jerk.

 

[J. Dan]

Quincy Jones backs off wild claims, issues apology

[ProfD]

The words have already flown out of QJ's mouth. I believe he meant every last one of them. I'm not buying the apology even though it was free.

[BRW]

I'm surprised by the hate here for the "Back On The Block" album. Yes, it's very much a product of its time with the somewhat cheesy brass samples and late 80's drum machines, but I like it! It doesn't always work (I can't stand the rap style of that era, for instance), but there are some solid jams in there, like "One Man Woman" and "I Don't Go For That" featuring Siedah Garrett, the version of "Tomorrow" by the Brothers Johnson, the unfortunately-titled "Wee B. Doin It" with Bobby McFerrin, etc. The version of "Birdland" doesn't really bring anything new to it, but it's fine.

 

Bringing the jazz guys and gals in didn't always work, but most were, as has been said, not in best health and kinda old. But they do just fine for the most part.

 

Regarding the Beatles thing - Q wasn't dissing their musical legacy at all, a fact most people seem to misinterpret. He said they weren't great MUSICIANS (and I think meaning in the purest sense of the word), and I'd have to agree. Most "rock" musicians aren't great musicians, per se.

[Theo Verelst]

Being a leading person in music production maybe he was to interpreted more in his main capacity. It's pretty to have created the perfect synth bass, the most wonderfully recorded electronic organ, but what does that do to and for people. It's like solving the riddle of his popularity the interviewers were after while maybe he thought good music needed to be saved from degeneration and was prepared as such

[ElmerJFudd]

Kids had an intervention, Dad, your effing up your legacy and our lives. You want to be remembered as an outright ahole or as a successful music producer? Do we still get invites to A list parties or do we get snubbed all over town? Apologies and fix this, pops.