Quincy Jones Interview

I would most certainly be interested in his take on Prince. Can anyone imagine a musicican that could intimidate Prince? 

Really appreciate his recognition of a lot of the latin music and rhytums 
so often overlooked in our culture. This guy is a real gem in so many ways, culturally, musically and as a human being for cutting through a lot of the BS, thanks Quincy, I needed that!  

Thanks for your perspective Bdp24, but REALLY, the totality of Quincy's work corny? You protest too much. We are of the same generation and love a lot of the same stuff but I would NEVER say that Quincy Jones is anything less than a totally serious and accomplished music guy over the past 60 plus years, come on man, you can't be serious! A lot of his comments in that article are one off anecdotal stories and have to be taken in that context.

His comments about the Beatles were on their early musicianship, not their writing, at least that was my take. It takes time for good things to evolve. Or to put it another way, for cream to rise to the top. I can't tell you how many albums I have produced by this guy that I didn't even know about until I started to pay attention to such things. Sinatra at the Sands Live, check it out but if you think Sinatra is "corny" then maybe you have a point :).

I agree, not all today's music sucks, did Quincy actually say that it did? I don't think that he did. He made references to some of the current crop doing good work, Bruno Mars as a popular example. The bottom line is as it always has been, most music is mediocre at best as will be judged by the test of time.

+1 onhwy61, I am growing weary of seeing some get a free pass time after time, It's disheartening.

Great response Chayro, that is just the point, Q's opinions are just that and to read into it more than what it was to me is missing the point. To me, at least it was a series of events that happened and he witnessed. Really, what does an 85 year old guy got to lose? Another point he made that wasn't discussed in the criticism of him was how he stayed connected to his roots of poverty, the empathy towards others, funny how many missed or omitted that point which gave more credence to many of his other opinions. Agreed, the Brando comment would have been better left unsaid. 

OK Shadorne, metoo, but would it have been a topic that even would have come up in this conversation a year or so ago?  I don't mean to dismiss your point but are we going to go so OFF TOPIC by  including the character of John Lennon in regard to his treatment of women? The man has been dead for 37 years. There are PLENTY of guilty men in their treatment of women at some point in their lives, things they wish they could change privately if never admit to. Often in such matters it's a matter of like father, like son, boars breed bores. 

AGREE with respondents that say Paul was the musical force of that group. It's so obvious when one listens to each of their subsequent solo efforts if it wasn't obvious before which it sure was to me. Speaking of their solo efforts, is there one better than the superb first  of George Harrison, "All Things Must Pass"  the quiet, unsung Beatle, maybe my favorite solo album of any of the Beatles. "Imagine" if you can a more  mundane song than that one, never got it maybe someone can clue me in?

The Beatles were a unique group in the history of Western popular music. It isn't particularly about their special musicianship, or their pop appeal/charm or just their music, but their collective accomplishments along with the fifth wheel George Martin who can't be denied  his contribution to the whole of what they became, a cultural, popular musical phenom of the mid 20th Century. Whether the music will endure in the future, I would ask the same of Gershwin  Kern  Berlin, Ellington Rogers or the many other great songwriters, We'll never know. How many know about Paganini or List in their hayday? If not for the film Amadeus how about Mozart?

So far as Quincy Jones is concerned, yes, he made some unfortunate comments, maybe even based in jealousy as has been suggested by his lack of musical chops, so what, he was good at what he did and so far as his opinions they are nothing more or less than those expressed by mine or anyone else's, Take what you like and discard what you don't, nothing's perfect!