Quincy Jones talks
about his tribute album,
Q: Soul Bossa Nostra
Soul man
By Bryan Reesman
DURING A CAREER THAT has spanned more
than 60 years of musical output, legendary record
producer Quincy Jones has traveled the world,
worked with scores of music icons and produced
the biggest-selling album of all time (Michael
Jackson’s Thriller).
The influence he has had on multiple generations
is evidenced on the new tribute album Q: Soul Bossa
Nostra. The CD, which was conceived and assembled
by Timbaland, collects 15 tracks associated with Jones
over his career, which he either wrote or produced, as
reinvented by popular hip-hop, rap and R&B artists as
diverse as Mary J Blige, Amy Winehouse, John
Legend, Jennifer Hudson and Usher.
“It’s mind-boggling,” Jones tells The Connection,
“and it reminds you how long you’ve been on this
planet. A couple of those things I wrote in 20 minutes,
like ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘Soul Bossa Nova.’ ” Raps
have been added to both of those instrumental tracks
for this collection. (The latter has actually been a hit
repeatedly since its 1962 release, including through
the Dream Warriors in 1990, as the Austin Powers
movie trilogy theme starting in 1997 and as sampled
on Ludacris’ 2005 single “Number One Spot.”)
Other classic Q covers get really radical; a serious
rap about the aftermath of Katrina has been added to
the cover of “Hikky-Burr,” the whimsical theme of the
1960s Bill Cosby Show, while Wyclef Jean’s upbeat re-imagining of the laid-back, if somber, “Many Rains
Ago (Oluwa)” includes a darker lyrical prelude.
Although many of the rappers who appear here
are known for profanity-laced rants, they essentially
keep it clean on this album. But, as with the motley
crew on Jones’ multiple Grammy-winning album
Back on the Block, he never requested it. Such restraint
clearly comes from the serious respect these artists
have for their mentor. “It does, man,” he concurs, “and
I’ve got to tell you that it did not go unnoticed. I never
said don’t do this or don’t do that. They had the sen-
sibility and the love to just not do it.”
The legendary musician, composer and pro-
ducer says he certainly digs the rebooted title track,
which is a reinvention of the 1962 track “Soul Bossa
Nova.” “I love what Akon did with ‘Strawberry
Letter 23,’ ” he adds. “I didn’t write that, but I did it
with the Brothers Johnson 30 years ago.” Jones really
loves it all, including Jennifer Hudson singing “You
Put a Move on My Heart”: “They were [all] just so
loving, you know. Unbelievable.
