March 11 at 8pm | 5 Films
Without a doubt, the sheer prowess and prolific work of the late Quincy Jones has cemented him as one of the most influential people in music production. While many, if not most, are familiar with Jones for his work with such talented and respected musicians as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson (particularly his involvement with Jackson’s wildly successful 1982 album Thriller) and several others for “We Are the World” alone, his tremendous contributions were also given to the film industry throughout his long and storied career. A film’s musical scoring adds to its ambiance, and while Jones may primarily be remembered by certain generations as a hitmaker, join TCM on March 11 for five films that put his immense musical production and scoring talents front and center.
Jones was born in Chicago in 1933 and went through a rather difficult childhood, which included some interactions with street life. Following a move to Washington state, Jones’ association with and deep love of music was cultivated. In the following years, Jones befriended Ray Charles and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Moving on to his own performing career as a jazz musician, Jones exercised great skill as a trumpet player and musical arranger. He transitioned into other areas of music eventually becoming an executive with Mercury Records and composed music as well as theme songs for a number of successful television shows, including “Sanford and Son” and “The Bill Cosby Show.” He later formed his own production company and produced several popular television series such as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “In the House” and “Mad TV.” During this time, he also launched “Vibe Magazine” and cemented his involvement with some of the most influential and beloved musicians across a multitude of genres.
Jones scored his first film in 1964 when he worked with Sidney Lumet on The Pawnbroker. He continued throughout the 1960s, hitting a watershed moment in 1967 when he composed the score for five films. In the Heat of the Night (1967) is set in fictional Sparta, Mississippi where a prominent local businessman is found dead. Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) and his staff’s investigation of the murder leads to a chance encounter with Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier). An assumption of Tibbs’ involvement in the crime due to his race leads to the revelation of his profession as a police officer. While dealing with racism, rivalry and corruption within a town that is less than accepting of his presence, Tibbs’ tenacity in getting to the bottom of the case earns him eventual respect, though initially begrudgingly.
Based on the 1965 novel of the same name by John Ball and directed by Norman Jewison, Jones’ score evokes both the sleepiness of the Southern town as well as the weariness, defiance, determination and steadfastness of Virgil Tibbs, particularly with the usage of the bluesy title theme song sung by Ray Charles. Jones received a Grammy nomination for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show. It was his 13th nomination but first for his film work. The reworked title track would also be used in the 1988-1995 television adaptation “In the Heat of Night,” which starred Carroll O’Connor and Howard E. Rollins Jr.
In The Getaway (1972), convicted criminal Carter “Doc” McCoy (Steve McQueen) is itching to be paroled from his bank robbery conviction. Convincing his wife Carol (Ali McGraw) to influence a corrupt parole board member (Ben Johnson) to get him released, Doc gets out on the condition that he participate in another robbery. Only after the revelation of what lengths Carol goes to for her husband to get him out of jail does the extent of their palpable and somewhat abusive relationship come to light. With kidnapping, a large chunk of change to steal, and plenty of dirty dealings and double-crossing underlying a toxic love story, Jones’ score featured harmonica within slightly folky, jazzy components that complement the tragic turn the film takes.
Directed by Sam Peckinpah, Steve McQueen took significant creative control over the project, as his company First Artists produced the film. He replaced the original composer Jerry Fielding with Jones, a decision that Peckinpah was said to have been displeased about. Though the film is hardly the first heist film to feature a criminal couple, the effort made by Jones in his re-scoring of the film gave it a more toned-down quality despite its rather heavy and violent subject matter. These efforts earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score-Motion Picture in 1973.
The night’s block also features the Sidney Lumet-directed The Anderson Tapes (1971), which involves a recently paroled criminal (Sean Connery) who can’t let go of the criminal life despite the fact that his every move is under surveillance; The Split (1968), where a large amount of money goes missing and the thieves involved (Jim Brown, Jack Klugman, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland) suspects the other of pocketing it; and In Cold Blood (1967), directed by Richard Brooks and based on the Truman Capote novel often considered the first true crime classic, where convicts (Robert Blake, Scott Wilson) murder an entire family in Kansas as part of a robbery. Jones earned his first Academy Award nomination in 1968 for Best Music, Original Music Score for In Cold Blood.
In addition to composing over 35 film scores, Jones earned countless awards and accolades across most entertainment honorifics, including Academy Award nominations (The Color Purple, 1986) and The Wiz, 1978); a Top Box Office Award for The Color Purple; a Henry Mancini Award from the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards; a total of four Golden Globes nominations; several Grammy Award wins and nominations; and three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and a win for his work on the “Roots” miniseries.
Jones (along with Michael Omartian) produced the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.” Monikered as USA for Africa, the effort banded together many of the most popular musicians of the time, including Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Hall and Oates and Bob Dylan to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. According to Forbes, the single raised several million dollars and hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Survived by seven children, including actress Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones passed away on November 3, 2024. But his vast musical legacy will remain stitched in the fabric of all he helped to create. For anyone who remotely enjoys music and the way it can create and shape the total experience of a film, one cannot deny Jones’ innovation, ear for rhythm and what constitutes a smash hit, and an eye for helping to foster and enhance an artist’s vision and sheer ability.
