Q
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'Q' is not the scientist who provides James Bond with all his gadgets, but in this instance is the musician, performer, producer and arranger Quincy Jones. In this his autobiography he traces his rise from ghetto obscurity to that of millionaire celebrity. This is not about soul in its strictest sense because Quincy became a giant of Black Music which transcended all genres. In fact he confesses virtually from the outset that his real love is Jazz. None the less he started out with early R&B performer Lionel Hampton, worked closely with Ray Charles in his early years and went on to produce Brother's Johnson, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, James Ingram, Rufus, Chaka Khan, Brook Benton, and Timi Yuro. In short, despite all his other passions, his soul credentials are impeccable. His early life was traumatic to say the least, as not only did he have to contend with ghetto life, but a mentally unstable mother as well. She was a person who would come to haunt him for the rest of his life. In my view the story of his youth is undoubtedly the most interesting part of the book. From these humble beginnings Quincy went on to produce film scores and work with top international artists of the stature of Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. Indeed he was producer for Jackson's big multi-million selling albums such as Thriller. Unfortunately, despite protestations, you cannot help but feel that Quincy is well aware of how he has risen up the social ladder. Many little asides that he tells seem to serve little purpose other than to indulge in a spot of name dropping. The end of the book contains no less than thirteen pages of acknowledgements, fourteen pages of discography, ten pages of filmography, nine pages listing his television appearances, eight pages listing his awards and nominations, and finally one page listing his honorary degrees. These statistics say it all and by the end I was starting to get irritated. There was just a little too much self-indulgence for my liking which rather spoiled what was quite a good read. My only consolation was that it wasn't yet another book on Motown. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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