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Quincy Jones | Essential albums and listening guide
Explore Quincy Jones through The Quintessence. Discover what to listen for and follow related styles to your next record.
Quincy Jones
Meet the artist
A musician who began his career as a jazz composer and trumpet player, later expanding his activities to film music and pop music production. He skillfully combined the sounds of big bands with soul and funk music, creating music that transcended genres. An arranger's ear for instrumental color and melodic placement runs through his work.
Big-band ensemble experience carries into music layered with electric instruments and voices. Blues and dance energy remain beneath the polished sound, keeping sophisticated productions approachable. His role includes bringing different talents into one record. Following that work traces jazz techniques into film, pop and a wider musical culture.
Where to start listening
Take in the ensemble as one large sound, then find the entrances of individual instruments. Listen to how arranging changes the impression of tone and rhythm.
1962The Quintessence
Quincy Jones
A work that demonstrates the composer’s skills as a big band musician. The colors of the wind instruments are carefully arranged, creating a well-structured composition in which the individuality of each soloist and their swings are brought to life.
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1969Walking in Space
Quincy Jones
A piece that combines elements of soul and funk into the jazz orchestration. The rich texture of a large ensemble and dynamic rhythms convey Quincy’s music, which has changed over time.
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Years follow the Atlas catalogue. Recording dates, original release dates and digital reissue dates may differ.