Quincy Jones
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
(Bell, 1969)
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Again in 1969 (a busy year for the man), Jones produced this sparkling score, with its lavish string arrangements and jazzy interludes. There’s also Jackie DeShannon singing a mournful ‘What the World Needs Now’ and, once more, Sarah Vaughan delivering a glorious knockout with ‘Sun Dance’, a rewrite of a portion of Handel’s Messiah. What sounds like a lot work went into an unconventional soundtrack for an unconventional movie about sexual experimentation.
Quincy Jones
Come Back Charleston Blue
(ATCO, 1972)
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Though this is mostly Donny Hathaway’s show, Jones produced and arranged it. It’s a crazy quilt of styles, from the Bourbon Street vibe of ‘Main Theme’ to the Basie-referencing ‘Basie’ to the spacey funk of ‘Hearse to the Graveyard’ to the bongo fury of ‘Drag Queen Chase’. But the core of this record – the reason to get it – is Hathaway’s heart-wrenching reading of his ‘Little Ghetto Boy’, which Dr. Dre sampled for The Chronic.
Quincy Jones
The Heist a.k.a. $
(Reprise, 1972)
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With Little Richard ripping through ‘Money Is’ and Doug Kershaw fiddling around in ‘Redeye Runnin’ Train’, The Heist is a slightly ramshackle record, rich with sudden soulful moods (‘Shady Lady’) and slam-dunk funk (‘Money Runner’). With its Rhodes pianos and wacka-wacka guitars, the album oozes smooth ‘70s.
Quincy Jones
The Hot Rock a.k.a. How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons
(Atlantic, 1972)
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Quincy concocts some snazzy caper music for this peak-period Redford caper flick, which features primo instrumentation from Grady Tate, Clark Terry and Gerry Mulligan, as well as members of L.A.’s famed Wrecking Crew. They lay down some great beats and breaks throughout – no wonder it’s been sampled by the likes of Eminem.
