The Many Achievements of Q, aka the Legendary Quincy Jones

At age 11, Quincy Jones found his purpose when he felt compelled to touch the piano at a local recreation center. It was a small gesture that set him on his way to a hugely successful music career. The first instrument he learned was the trumpet, and it didn't take him long to be good enough to play in jazz bands. From there, he went on to:- Collaborate with Frank Sinatra;- Compose film scores for movies and TV shows; - Produce hit songs for Lesley Gore; - Work with Michael Jackson on three albums, including "Thriller," the best-selling album ever; - Organize the recording of "We Are the World," which brought together more than 40 of the top rock and pop stars of the 1980s.- And write popular songs. "Soul Bossa Nova," the song referenced in this tribute, came out in 1962. More than three decades later, it was used in the opening dance scene in the 1997 film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."You can go here to watch Jones conducting an amazing group of jazz musicians playing "Soul Bossa Nova" on "Late Night with David Letterman."Or  to hear the song as the soundtrack to 1960s videos, go here."The Many Lives of Q" is a BBC documentary about Jones' life and career. You can find it presented in short segments on YouTube. Here's a link to Episode 1, which is intriguing enough to make you want to want to keep watching all seven episodes.The image in the thumbnail for this episode is a photo of Jones in 1980, attributed to the Los Angeles Times and available on Wikimedia under the license CC BY 4.0.This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. Sheldon also created Song of the Day, which was a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. He ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.Send us Fan MailThis is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.