A slew of musical artists paid tribute to the late Quincy Jones on the Grammys on Sunday evening.
The music legend, who died Nov. 4, was honored with a medley of a few of the tons of of songs he had a hand in throughout his prolific profession as a report producer, movie composer, multi-genre artist, leisure govt and humanitarian.
Will Smith launched the tribute, calling Jones — often called “Q” to his pals — “some of the influential and groundbreaking figures of our instances.”
Smith famous how Jones modified his life “without end.” He added, “You most likely wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones. He made so many greats throughout a number of genres sound even higher.”
Smith went on to speak about how Jones labored with the likes of Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Depend Basie, Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra, with whom Jones shaped “a musical partnership that opened doorways and took each males to new heights.”
The musical portion of the tribute began off with the style of jazz, with Cynthia Erivo singing a stripped-down model of Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” accompanied solely by Herbie Hancock on piano, earlier than the music kicked into excessive gear with the backing of a brass band.
Lainey Wilson then launched into an brisk rendition of “Let the Good Occasions Roll,” together with Jacob Collier on piano.
That segued into Stevie Marvel becoming a member of Hancock onstage, taking part in harmonica alongside Hancock’s piano accompaniment on “Bluesette.” Subsequent, Marvel launched the hit music “We Are the World,” which raised cash for USA for Africa, a nonprofit group that works to finish poverty in Africa.
“Quincy was all the time there to assist,” Marvel stated. “Like when he produced this subsequent anthem, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. This music fed tens of millions of individuals in Ethiopia.”
Marvel then gestured to a photograph displayed inside Crypto.com Area showcasing the handfuls of stars who sang on the recording, from Diana Ross to Cyndi Lauper to Bruce Springsteen.
“You see these individuals up there? That day, Quincy instructed us to maintain our egos out and on the door,” Marvel stated. As he carried out the music, the viewers — together with stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé — received to its toes, singing alongside.
Marvel was backed by a refrain of individuals in sweatshirts with “LA” imprinted over a crimson coronary heart, befitting the theme of the evening, with the ceremony elevating cash for L.A. wildfire reduction efforts.
Smith then got here again to the stage, calling Jones his “mentor, pal, father determine” and sharing a narrative from the early days on the set of Smith’s TV sequence, The Recent Prince of Bel-Air, which Jones govt produced. Smith relayed how Jones suggested the rapper-turned-actor, then in his early twenties, that he must deal with individuals on his set, sparked by Jones’ seeing that the meals choices weren’t as much as par.
Smith stated Jones gave him some recommendation on the time: “‘It’s your job to deal with these individuals,’ and I’ve completed all the things in my profession to attempt to reside as much as Quincy’s demand.”
Janelle Monaé ended the tribute with a efficiency of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Cease Until You Get Sufficient,” full with a moonwalk and a duplicate of Jackson’s glittery ’80s-era silver socks. She additionally unbuttoned her shirt to disclose a tank prime that learn “I [Heart] QJ.”
Jones was no stranger to the Grammys. He was introduced with the Legend Award in 1991 and gained 28 Grammys from an all-time finest 80 nominations. He additionally obtained the Movement Image Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and an honorary Oscar on the Governors Awards in November.
The Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah, are airing reside on CBS. See a full record of Grammy winners and all of the star-studded crimson carpet arrivals.
