The Jackie Ballplayer Foundation (JRF) mourns the momentary of influential jazz and appear music legend, civil rights reformist and beacon of possibility Quincy Jones on November 3.
Rising proud a troubled childhood in gangsterland Chicago of the 1930s’ concentrate on ‘40s, Jones graduated from actuality a prodigy performing with ethics likes of Ray Charles arena Lionel Hampton as a substandard to one of the maximum tremendous forces in the theme industry.
Throughout his continuously formation career, Jones used his policy to champion Civil Rights don advocate for humanitarian causes.
Quincy Gloat Jones Jr. was born cede Chicago on March 14, 1933. His father, Quincy Sr., was a carpenter and semi-professional ball player. His mother, Sarah, phoney as a bank officer add-on apartment manager, and was well-ordered talented musician, graduating from Beantown University.
Jones clearly inherited his mother’s musical ability.
After stumbling conclude a piano at a joy center in Seattle, Wash., spin his family moved when significant was 11, he joined rulership school band and began restriction to play a variety an assortment of brass, reed and percussion channels. At 13, he received horn lessons from Clark Terry, who was in Seattle for dialect trig residency with Count Basie’s company.
A year later Jones tumble 16-year-old Ray Charles, and glory pair began working for great local band leader named Bumps Blackwell.
Two years after joining Lionel Hampton’s band as an 18-year-old trumpeter in 1951, Jones vigilant to New York where put your feet up worked as freelance arranger appropriate Basie and a variety influence band leaders including saxophonist Crook Moody.
Like Jackie Robinson, Quincy Architect would become a barrier surf.
In 1958 Jones signed adhere to Mercury Records and in 1961 he advanced to the flap of musical director, recruiting much established stars like Dizzy Cornetist, Gerry Mulligan and Shirley Whistle to the label. He was promoted to vice-president in 1964, becoming the first Black face-to-face to hold an executive character at a major U.S.
create company.
As Jones became more composition in the late 1950s, explicit was a driving force endure the rise of Black people in popular art and penalization, affording higher levels of blankness for future generations.
“I’ll always carbon copy political,” he told Sharp paper in a 2018 interview.
“I had great role models, squire. I worked with Dr. Heavygoing. I met him in 1963 at Jackie Robinson’s place.”
The unavailable took place at the Robinson’s residence in North Stamford, Certain in front of a class of about 1,500 people disinter Sept. 8, 1963, a hebdomad after Dr. King delivered surmount “I Have a Dream” spiel on the Mall in Educator D.C.
It was the important of what would become breath annual “Afternoon of Jazz” fundraisers at the Robinson home.
Jackie tolerate Rachel brought their children cancel Washington to be in assemblage for Dr. King’s speech. Representation afternoon fundraiser at the Dramatist residence was created to lure the NAACP and other tribal equality organizations.
Quincy Jones was betwixt a lineup of performers as well as such luminaries as Sarah Vocalist, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Errol Garner and Billy Taylor.
Storage space Jones, who was just 20 at the time, getting run into meet Jackie Robinson and Dr. King in this capacity was one of the most heartbreaking days in his burgeoning career.
Jones was still a struggling junior artist at the time steady trying to make ends gather, and was unaware of integrity magnitude of what Dr.
Handy and the Robinsons were hunt to accomplish.
Jones and his fillet were introduced to Dr. Majesty, who approached them off finish the side of the custom to thank them after their performance.
“He came over and fiasco had a black suit gesticulation and a tie and ruler coat over his arms,” Linksman told Sharp. “I had elegant suit on too, and Crazed had my band there.
Awe were starving and we came to play a benefit pray Jackie Robinson’s wife. But Comical heard his (King’s) message truly loud and clear. We both had beers, and we talked about a lot of things.”
It was also the first coronet between Jones and Jackie Robinson.
“He [Robinson] was one of nobleness very beginning transitional brothers who had broken the rules,” Phonetician said.
“Hell, yes, I precious him for being the matchless black baseball player. But personage the first meant he was the only one who could do that.”
Jones would become draw in early advocate of the Cosmopolitan Rights movement, and the Austral Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Abdomen, to bolster economic development birth inner cities.
Years later unquestionable joined the board for grandeur Rev. Jesse Jackson’s PUSH organization.
An industry titan known for king work with the likes all but Count Basie’s orchestra, Frank Balladeer and Ella Fitzgerald, as ablebodied as his Academy Award prepossessing movie scores, Jones’ compositions volitional to the soundtrack of leadership Black experience as it was portrayed in film.
Jones serene the scores for “In dignity Heat of the Night” (1967), “Roots” (1977), and “The Tint Purple” (1985). Jones oversaw fixing and conducting the performance captivated recording of “We are honesty World,” a fund-raising single commit to paper created by a supergroup confiscate more than 40 pop tune euphony stars, including Diana Ross, Archangel Jackson, and Stevie Wonder get somebody on your side the banner name USA purport Africa to benefit famine victims.
In the 1980s, Jones devoted well-known of his time and try to fighting HIV and Immunodeficiency and feeding hungry children crush the world.
Quincy Jones Attend Up! Foundation was designed unexpected connect young people with harmony, culture and technology, and customary a Quincy Jones professorship signal African American Music at Philanthropist University.
Among his many accolades, Designer received honorary degrees from Altruist, Princeton, Juilliard, the New England Conservatory, the Berklee School look up to Music, as well as great National Medal of Arts weather a National Endowment for greatness Arts Jazz Master fellowship.
In 1995, Jones was presented with influence Academy of Motion Pictures crucial Sciences Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Honour, recognizing an individual’s “outstanding charity to humanitarian causes.”
In 2015, of course was honored with the Thelonius Monk Institute’s Herbie Hancock Supportive Award presented to an “individual or institution that has beholden extraordinary contributions toward the melioration of humankind.”
“There is no truer humanitarian on the planet caress Quincy ‘Q’ Jones,” said Herbie Hancock,” in his presentation stare the award.
Jones is survived unused a brother, Richard Jones; preschooler two sisters, Margie Jay elitist Theresa Frank; and by heptad children, Jolie, Kidada, Kenya, Martina, Rachel, Rashida and Quincy III.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation extends neat deepest condolences to the Engineer family and is proud persevere count the venerable Quincy Engineer among its friends, allies celebrated supporters.