I always wondered why this album is by Quincy Jones.

I mean, i love this album, but why is it called "by Quincy Jones".

Looking at the credits, he didnt do much. No vocals, didn't write the songs, yes, he did some arrengements, but next to that...what did he do actually?

Can someone explain?

nextedition said:

Empress said:

nextedition said:

I always wondered why this album is by Quincy Jones.

I mean, i love this album, but why is it called "by Quincy Jones".

Looking at the credits, he didnt do much. No vocals, didn't write the songs, yes, he did some arrengements, but next to that...what did he do actually?

Can someone explain?

Quincy produced the album and was instrumental in bringing all the artists together. It's a fantastic album. I still listen to it often.

Yeah, seems pretty explanatory. No one just wanders into a studio and slaps their name on a record for the sake of it. Not the first time a producer has assembled a group of folks for an album.

Empress said:

Quincy Jones has produced music since the 1960's. I'm pretty familiar with him putting out

albums in the 70's as an artist but with him being strictly a musician and not a vocalist he brings

in guest artists to sing on his albums just like any jazz artist like Boney James, Grover Washington, etc. There are exceptions like the great late George Duke who does sing as well.

phunkdaddy said:

Quincy Jones has produced music since the 1960's. I'm pretty familiar with him putting out

albums in the 70's as an artist but with him being strictly a musician and not a vocalist he brings

in guest artists to sing on his albums just like any jazz artist like Boney James, Grover Washington, etc. There are exceptions like the great late George Duke who does sing as well.

Go back a decade before that. He started in the 1950s putting out records. But yes, dude's been around the block more than a few times.

He did write "Soul Bossa Nova" which served as the opening them song for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

A great producer isn't always a writer, though. They know music, and know how to make it sound amazing, pulling out the best parts of an artist. It helps if they are a musician in some aspect, I believe. But it's not always a requirement. Q sorta straddles that fence, leaning more to just being a producer. But his musicality and knowledge of music theory has certainly helped him solidify his status.

In the Ray Charles movie, he is shown as a 14 year old kid in 1948 who was already playing some kind of trumpet and trying to get into clubs.