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Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 454 ratings · 46 reviews
Musician, composer, producer, arranger, and pioneering entrepreneur Quincy Jones has lived large and worked for five decades alongside the superstars of music and entertainment -- including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Ray Charles, Will Smith, and dozens of others. Q is his glittering and moving life story, told with the style, passion, ...more
Paperback , 432 pages
Published October 8th 2002 by Three Rivers Press (CA) (first published October 1st 2001)
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(showing 1-30 of 818)
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Cherie
I am embarassed to say that the only reason I picked this book to read was because I needed a title that started with "Q" for a reading challenge.

After that admission, I also have to say that I was drawn to choose this book, just from the cover alone. I DID recognise the name but I LOVE his wonderful, smiling face. It makes me smile right back at him every time I look at it sitting here on my desk.

Beyond his name, I really had no idea of who Quincey Jones really was nor exactly what he did exce
...more
Vanita
Sep 27, 2012 Vanita rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: anyone interested in the development of "black music"
A great book! Can be read like a novel, very interesting, especially with the chapters written by friends/family, casting a different light on Q's story.
Very enlightening, though sometimes a bit confusing as well, if you're not familiar with all the details.


--
As I came into the lobby, the valet grabbed my bags and asked, "Is your driver coming in to help load your bags into the car?"
I said, "I don't think so."
When he walked around to the driver's side and saw Frank Sinatra sitting behind the whe
...more
Amberock72
Quincy Jones is a world famous producer and composer. In his autobiography he talks about how he got his start in the music industry at twelve years old by picking up a trumpet and becoming a musician. From there his career as an artist took off. He talks about his experiences traveling around the country and Europe being in bands like Lionel Hamptons and also getting opportunities to direct his own band that traveled around the country and Europe by the age of 24. After directing his own band h ...more
Randall Wallace
such a refreshing musical biography to read - especially after having recently read neil young's painfully boring "waging heavy peace" where i kept hoping against hope that neil would be informative or barring that would be funny or interesting... anyway, happily quincy's book is the opposite of neil's and has the three things: it's informative, funny and interesting. but quincy's book goes further than that - it shows style and elegance. quincy can go from grace kelly elegance to ghetto rap in ...more
Matthew
I'm a huge fan of most of Q's long musical career, projects, and music. Unfortunately this book lacks the polish of a reputable editor or journalist. While Jones is interesting and has a life of incredible collaboration and accomplishments, the writing is a bit amateur.
Gina Marcelin
Quincy Jones has created music, movies, tv shows and magazines, is there nothing he cannot do well?
Let's add memoirs also to this list, because this is an easy read.
It reads like he sat with a friend and told stories of his life and times. And what a life he has had! This book begins with his rough childhood, his mother in an institution, becoming a musician & touring with Basie, Duke and Sarah and goes from there. Quincy Jones knows so many interesting people and has had so many interesting
...more
Helga Zagmeister
Very enlightening book about Quincy Jones and his life, from early difficult childhood who, happily, found his passion in music, early in life, which seems to have saved him to his adult life, complete with his well- earned life lessons. I gave the book 4 stars, not 5 because although very well-written, the timeline jumps around. An excellent addition to rounding out the picture of Quincy's life is the chapters written by others who know or knew him well. Very exciting and life-affirming story.
Greg Brozeit
As I am reading and enjoying Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace, I was thinking back on other musical autobiographies I had read and a bad memory I had repressed came back. This book is truly one of the most self-indulgent, name-dropping and vacuous things I have ever had the misfortune to read. Stay away. It's something a ghostwriter from People magazine might produce. Now, back to Neil.
Will
Considering his crushingly tragic childhood, to go on to win nearly every major music award is unbelievable. He worked with an amazing range of major jazz/pop stars, doing everything from trumpet performance with jazz greats, to arranging for Sinatra, to going bankrupt touring Europe with an all-star big band, to producing for Michael Jackson, to writing award-winning film music, to producing rap. Incredibly diverse, successful career! I now discuss Quincy Jones in my college Brass Pedagogy clas ...more
Carolyn Wysinger
Sep 12, 2009 Carolyn Wysinger rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: music lovers
Recommended to Carolyn by: my mother
A must read for any TRUE fan of music. Most people my age only know Quincy for his pop music espcially Michael Jacksons Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. But Quincy was also a major player in the jazz game for decades before venturing into pop. He olayed with all the major jazz stars toured Europe with his own band and is one of the last of the original bebop guys. His genius has transcended generations, genres, AND racial boundaries. And amazing journey. Of course their is no intricate literary s ...more
Max
The man I always knew was a master of music production and composition has now become my patron saint of commitment, passion, social change, and wisdom. Quincy's life is way too rich and astounding to be put in such a small book.
Through interviews from friends, relatives, personal insight, this autobiography lights up Q's life from all angles.
If you have a tiny interest in the man's work, you will be wearing a "What Would Quincy Do" bracelet by the 5th chapter. If you have never heard of hi
...more
Tanya
I enjoyed reading Q's funny stories about his interactions with the early jazz greats when he was just a teenager! He shares snapshots of his earliest memories of the music world not to mention his contributions to musical history. Hello? Thriller...We Are The World??? He worked with Ella, with Duke Ellington, played on stage with a high out of her mind but brilliant Billie Holliday.

On a personal note, I read this book while my mother was battling cancer. Eery how the chapter on his brother dyi
...more
Stacy
I knew that Quincy Jones was a much admired producer, however I was completely unaware of his abilities as a performer and arranger. He really had the most remarkable career. While not always the most likeable of people he strikes you as honest and someone who has tried to learn from his mistakes. Really liked the fact that the book wasn't just told from his point of view but in fact had different chapters written by his brother, some of his children, ex-wives, and fellow musicians. It provided ...more
Andrea Carr
i love this guy, an inspiration to everyone.
Russell
Quincy Jones has led a remarkable life: Raised on the South Side of Chicago, an institutionalized mother, a young band leader who traveled Europe, nursed by older talents and a nurse to younger ones.

More than anything, though, this autobiography is candid. He describes his failings as well as his successes.

I actually listened to the audio book, which I strongly recommend. A chapter where the central focus is an ex-wife, a son, or a protege, is actually narrarrated by that person.
Krystle Monique
I think this book is one of the best memoirs I have read.
Kristen
I did not read all of this. After the first 200 pages, I pretty much knew what he'd grown up with (crazy mother, angry stepmother, emotionally absent father, and life of deliquency saved by amazing talent arranging music). At that point I got sick of all the language and didn't care about the name dropping or the sleeping and drugging around and skimmed to the end. He produced some amazing music, but he's not a life model I'm chosing to follow.
Philly Aesthete Brown
Not your typical self-aggrandizing memoir. Q tells the truth on himself even when that truth isn't very pretty. Too, this book can be used as a primer for how to stay relevant as a musician, arranger, producer, songwriter, label exec, film composer and bandleader in an industry that thinks 40 is ancient. Q has one of the most accomplished and polyvalent careers in music, and is first and foremost a humanist and a thinker.
Peter Campbell
Quincy tells his story of his journey from being a young boy fascinated by the sounds of jazz to becoming an international music icon who rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty in and out of the music business. An incredible story of success but for me, too much emphasis on his sexual escapades.
And, I disagree with his conclusions about the future direction of popular music.
Kim Ehrenhaft
Quincy Jones sure lead a fascinating life, and this book does a fabulous job at detailing all his musical and personal adventures.

I learned some amazing facts about this man, and the book helped to make many events in the music industry "click" for me.

The people he knew - celebs across all genres - just amazed me.

I'd recommend it if you are a music fan.
Tommie
Simply written- thoroughly engaging. I read this biography in record time!
I enjoyed it most when he wasn't listing every single person he came into contact with- the names are important to someone, but dozens at a time was a bit tedious.
Local interest for me also as he started out in Seattle.
Kelli
Dec 14, 2008 Kelli marked it as to-read
I just saw "The Color Purple" and I loved it. While I was reading the Who's Who section of the program, I came across Quincy Jones as a producer and read some really cool things about him. He is one of only five living people to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy. Crazy, huh?!
Rick Hammond
Don't read this book. It may have been good had Quincy Jones decided to write it by himself, instead of having various people in his life write every other chapter. Because of this many of the stories in this book get told more then once
Carrie
a little bit boring, unless you have a firm handle on all the be-bop and jazz from the 50s. can be a bit tedious, but some great stories of his life. he has an interesting spiritual perspective to his wealth and success.
Marg
Instead of reading this autobiography, I recommend you get the audio copy. It is recorded by Quincy and many jaz greats that were important to his life and music. I listened to it in my car and hated to end my trips.
Rebecca
This cat has been everywhere and met everybody! His life and take on the music business is very interesting. I wish I knew everyone he was talking about. It's no surprise that he is very influential in the music biz.
Debbie
You don't have to necessarily like him to like his book. I found it very interesting. But my book club members had very different views of this book - most of any book we've read.
Donna
Quincy Jones should be voted the most important musical figure of the century. What hasn't he done? Growing up in the Seattle area, it should be a must read for all Seattleites.
Susanmudry
Q is probably my idol. ( holiest of terms) What he went through,economically, physically and psychologically, while still become one of americas musical masterminds is amazing/
Winter Sophia Rose
One Of The Most Amazing Stories Ever Told!
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The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions: Photos, Letters, Memories & More from Q’s Personal Collection The Quincy Jones Legacy Series: Q on Producing: The Soul and Science of Mastering Music and Work Quincy Jones -- From Q, with Love: Piano/Vocal/Chords Quincy Jones -- Q's Jook Joint The Vibe Q: Raw and Uncut

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