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Delicate ballads, bold brass and the thrill of Thriller: 10 of Quincy Jones’s greatest productions
From his sumptuous vocal jazz with Sarah Vaughan and Helen Merrill to funk with Donna Summer and George Benson, the late producer had astonishing versatility
He sniffed out gold in an unfairly flopped single by Chaz Jankel, a member of Ian Dury’s Blockheads who had struck out for solo glory with an eight-minute funk-pop song inspired by the violent erotic infatuations explored in Nagisa Oshima’s film In the Realm of the Senses – admittedly not the most obviously crowdpleasing fare. Jones then gave it an even bigger jolt of joie de vivre in his big band version – his ear well attuned to the swing of Brazilian rhythm even while he lent the tune a tangibly American brashness and confidence (some might say arrogance). From 1978’s fantastic but terribly titled album Sounds … and Stuff Like That!, this affords you the considerable pleasure of hearing Luther Vandross sing over peak Jones production that folds the sequins of the disco era into the cashmere of the R&B slow jam.
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