Jones, Quincy (1933–)

JONES, QUINCY (1933–). Composer, arranger, producer. Jones began playing the trumpet while attending grade school in Seattle, Washington. By his early teens, he had met and worked with Count Basie and Ray Charles, and received a scholarship to attend Boston’s Berklee School of Music. Oscar Pettiford invited Jones to New York, where he met Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. Shortly after, he toured Europe with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and later with Dizzy Gillespie. After studying classical composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, Jones returned to New York as vice-president of Mercury Records. He scored his first film, The Pawnbroker , 1965. His other film scores include In the Heat of the Night , 1967; The Wiz , 1978; and The Color Purple , 1985, on which he was also associate producer. In 1980, he established his own label, Quest Records, and was a key player in a cable TV venture. Jones organized the famine relief project for Africa, “We Are the World.” The documentary film Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones , explores his life and career.

Filmography: The Pawnbroker , 1965; In the Heat of the Night , 1967; The Wiz , 1978; The Color Purple , 1985; Their Eyes Were Watching God , 2005.