Celine Dion has paid tribute to iconic producer/arranger/composer and bandleader Quincy Jones, following his death on Sunday aged 91.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of my friend, the one and only musical genius, Quincy Jones,” Dion wrote on her official social media accounts. “Quincy touched my world both as a valued mentor and as someone I looked up to for his profound influence on nearly every form of American music. I had the privilege of working with Quincy, it was a dream come true. In our sessions, his musical intuition was nothing short of profound – he helped me capture 'a little piece of heaven'. Quincy always knew exactly what each song needed.
“Besides his kindness and countless accomplishments, I also admired him for his philanthropic work benefiting the arts, world hunger and underprivileged youth. Its appeal truly extends to all corners of the globe! Quincy once said, “Music is the soul of the universe. It connects us all on a level that words alone cannot reach. “May his wisdom and joy always be with us. – Celine xx…”
Dion also shared some photos of herself working on projects with Jones, including a photo of the two music titans from February 2010, when Dion participated in the recording of “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” to benefit the island nation nation. in the wake of a devastating earthquake. The session was held at Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood.
Another photo shared by the singer shows Dion with Jones and Humberto Gatica from a recording session in Los Angeles in 2006, when Dion recorded “I Knew I Loved You,” the theme song from Once upon a time in America.
Jones was a 28-time Grammy Award winner (and 80-time nominee), known for his production and arrangement work on timeless albums, including Michael Jackson's 1979 album Off The Wall1982 Impressive workand of 1987 Bad. He also supervised the recording of the all-star charity single “We Are the World” in 1985. the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and featured artists such as Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Billy Joel , Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Kenny Rogers.
Prior to his pop exposure, Jones collaborated with Frank Sinatra beginning in 1958. He worked on Sinatra's 1964 album It can also be Swingwith the Count Basie Orchestra. This project included Sinatra's cover of “Fly Me to the Moon”.
But Jones' influence and work extended far beyond working exclusively with musical artists. He also acquired the rights to the novel The Color Purplecasting Oprah Winfrey in the film adaptation of the book in 1985. Jones scored Sidney Lumet's 1964 film The Pawnbrokerand soon composed the music for the 1967 films In the heat of the night and In Cold Blood. He composed the theme songs for series incl Sanford and Sean, The Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971), and Ironside. In 1977, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for his work on Roots: Part 1. Jones also served as an executive producer on series including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (starring Will Smith) and LL Cool J's In the House. Jones also founded hip-hop magazine Vibe.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/celine-dion-quincy-jones-tribute-1235820884/
