While living in Paris, the legendary talent scout/record exec, John Hammond, connected me with Stanley Chase, the producer of a Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer show that was slated to open in Utrecht, called “Free & Easy”. I was asked to assemble a dream big band, take them to Europe for rehearsals, and then take it to Broadway.
Quincy remembers when his old friend Dizzy Gillespie asked him to be the musical director for his soon-to-be-on-tour big band!
After 5 years of working at Mercury Records as the 1st African American Vice President of a major record label, they offered me a one million dollar lifetime contract. (...)
Take a tour of music history by way of Quincy Jones' golden-selling record collection. The inimitable Q himself takes us through some of the records of which he is the most proud, and shares an anecdote or two about how they came to be. This trip down memory lane is like walking through a hall of fame.
