14 Essential Quincy Jones Songs

As a producer, arranger, composer, bandleader and recording artist, he made a powerful mark on nearly every genre he touched. He died Sunday, at 91.

Quincy Jones, who died at 91 on Sunday, was a colossus of American music, leaving a profound influence on nearly every genre he touched, from the 1950s on — jazz, funk, soundtracks, syrupy R&B and chart-topping pop.

The scope of his career is so vast, it seems almost impossible that it’s the work of a single person. He cut his teeth as a trumpeter in Lionel Hampton’s touring band in the early ’50s, then studied in Paris under the great classical pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. He produced jazz albums for Mercury Records, made fast friends with Frank Sinatra — who called him “Q,” a nickname that stuck — and recorded “It’s My Party,” a No. 1 hit by a teenage Lesley Gore.

Then came gorgeously textured movie scores, slithery funk and a fantastically successful partnership with Michael Jackson, whose 1982 LP “Thriller,” produced by Jones, is the biggest seller of all time. And it didn’t end there. In a 2018 documentary, “Quincy,” Kendrick Lamar, the reigning rap laureate, is seen bumping fists with Jones and crediting him as the inspiration for “combining hip-hop and jazz.”

Here is a sampling of some of Jones’s essential work, as a producer, arranger, composer, bandleader and recording artist in his own right. (Listen on Spotify and Apple Music.)

‘Evening in Paris’ (1957)

Jones was a jazz journeyman in the 1950s, playing trumpet with Hampton, working at Mercury and putting together his own albums. This gorgeous ballad, from “This Is How I Feel About Jazz,” his standout early LP, was composed by Jones and features an all-star band including Herbie Mann, Zoot Sims, Hank Jones and Charles Mingus.

Ray Charles, ‘One Mint Julep’ (1961)

Jones and Ray Charles met as teenagers in Seattle in the 1940s, as dramatized in the 2004 film “Ray.” By the time of his big band LP “Genius + Soul = Jazz,” Charles was a giant who seemed to remake American music with every step. Jones arranged half the tracks on the album, including “One Mint Julep,” a hot and swinging instrumental take on the Clovers’ original that Charles — leading from the organ — made a Top 10 hit.

‘Soul Bossa Nova’ (1962)

Jones’s version of Brazilian music on “Big Band Bossa Nova” is bold and playful, full of whistling flutes, blaring trumpets and squeaky cuíca drums. Mike Myers made the most of its comedic potential when he used “Soul Bossa Nova” throughout his “Austin Powers” film series.

Lesley Gore, ‘It’s My Party’ (1963)

One day on the job as a Mercury producer, Jones lugged a pile of demo recordings to the New Jersey home of a 16-year-old signing, Lesley Gore. Among them was “It’s My Party,” which Jones and the song’s arranger, Claus Ogerman, spiced up with some Latin-style percussion, staccato horn hits and double-tracked vocals. The day after recording it, Jones learned that Phil Spector had also recently cut the tune; Jones rushed to get his version out first, and it went to No. 1.

Frank Sinatra, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ (1964)

For his first collaboration with Sinatra on a studio LP, “It Might as Well Be Swing,” Jones provided arrangements with a light, sweet touch, adding just enough punch in “Fly Me to the Moon” to send it into the stratosphere. The sessions cemented what would be a long and close relationship between the two men, with Jones even inheriting Sinatra’s Sicilian ring. “I loved him as much as anyone else I ever worked with,” Jones wrote in his memoir, “Q” (2001).

‘The Pawnbroker: Main Title’ (1964)

In the mid-60s, Jones turned his attention to film scores. His first major project was “The Pawnbroker,” featuring Rod Steiger as a New York man numbed by his experiences in a Nazi camp. Jazz and Latin music are sprinkled throughout the score; the main title theme is moody and surreal, with ominously swelling strings and minor-key woodwind melodies that float and quickly disappear.

‘Boobie Baby’ (1965)

An obscure nugget in Jones’s film oeuvre, but a luscious one. This is from “Mirage,” a Gregory Peck thriller, with a wistful flute theme floating over a mellow jazz combo. Elsewhere in the score, swirls of dissonant strings, crashing percussion and a broken keyboard create a nightmarish sense of vertigo.

‘The Streetbeater’ (1972)

Ever the chameleon, Jones turned to funk in the 1970s. This track, the theme song to the television show “Sanford and Son,” gets its gritty rooster strut from the syncopated interplay of harmonica, sax and electric keyboard (plus no shortage of shakers and cowbell). Of course, Jones looked the part, posing on the cover of his album “You’ve Got It Bad Girl” the following year in black leather.

‘Body Heat’ (1974)

The groove is sexy and caramel smooth on “Body Heat,” an LP that Jones produced with the jazz bassist Ray Brown, a longtime collaborator. The title track, sung by Leon Ware and Bruce Fisher, was later sampled by Tupac Shakur for “How Do U Want It.”

Michael Jackson, ‘Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough’ (1979)

Jones first worked with Jackson on “The Wiz” and agreed to produce “Off the Wall,” his next solo LP. “Don’t Stop,” its opening track and first single, is a dazzling statement by the 20-year-old Jackson, a tingly swirl of disco with percussion that was contributed by, among others, Sheila E. This song announced Jackson’s arrival as a grown-up solo star and reinforced Jones’s hitmaker bona fides.

‘Just Once’ (1981)

In the 1980s, Jones was one of the ruling masters of mainstream pop, and could still spot radio-perfect voices. For this ultra-middle-of-the-road ballad on Jones’s album “The Dude,” he plucked James Ingram, who had sung on the song’s demo for a $50 fee. With his sweet, soulful baritone, Ingram would become one of the defining singers of R&B in the ’80s. He died in 2019 at 66.

Michael Jackson, ‘Billie Jean’ (1982)

One of Jones’s greatest moments as a producer came in spite of himself. He butted heads with Jackson on “Billie Jean,” the breakthrough hit from “Thriller.” The track opens with nearly 30 seconds of a sizzling drum and bass groove, which Jones felt was too long. But Jackson insisted on keeping it, and prevailed. “When Michael Jackson tells you, ‘That’s what makes me want to dance,’” Jones later recalled, “well, the rest of us just have to shut up.”

USA for Africa, ‘We Are the World’ (1985)

For the ultimate charity single, Jones was the ideal captain — conducting an ensemble of dozens of stars, and managing a complex session as producer (with Michael Omartian). Video of the sessions shows Jones leading the chorus sections, directing soloists to their microphone positions and working with Stevie Wonder to guide Bob Dylan through his lines.

‘I’ll Be Good to You,’ with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan (1989)

At age 56, Jones reinvented himself yet again as a recording artist for the New Jack Swing era with the album “Back on the Block,” featuring a deep bench of supporting guests from Ella Fitzgerald to Ice-T. Though the album includes some cringe-worthy rapping by Jones (“I’ve been away for a long time/I’m not only back but I’m here to rhyme”) it also featured spunky R&B-pop radio hits like “I’ll Be Good to You.” At the Grammys in 1991, Jones was showered with six awards, including album of the year.