Jones Quincy Delight, junior, *14 March 1933 Chicago, †3 November 2024 Los Angeles, American producer, trumpeter, pianist, arranger, composer of jazz, popular and film music. In 1947, he began learning to play the trumpet in Seattle; in 1950, he took lessons from C. Terry; in 1951, he completed his musical education at Schillinger House (later Berklee School of Music) in Boston. In 1952–53, he played in L. Hampton’s orchestra, with which he toured Europe in 1953; at that time, he made his first recordings under his own name, and also arranged and composed for American musicians recording in Sweden, including C. Brown (he composed Stockholm Sweetnin’ at that time). In the mid-1950s, he conducted various studio orchestras and also arranged for the bands of C. Basie and D. Gillespie. In 1957, he stayed in Paris, where he was the musical director of the Barclay record label; at the same time, he studied composition with N. Boulanger. In 1959, he returned to Sweden, where he conducted a radio orchestra called All Stars. In 1960, he led his own big band, with which he performed, among other works, the blues opera Free and Easy. In 1964, he became vice-president of the American record label Mercury (the first African American to hold such a high position). In the 1960s and 1970s, he wrote music for films, television series (including Roots, 1977) and television shows, and arranged songs for F. Sinatra, S. Vaughan, P. Lee, and B. Eckstine. He gradually moved away from jazz and active musical activity, focusing on producing albums for pop music performers. In the 1980s, he became one of the most influential figures in the American music industry. His position was cemented by his production of Michael Jackson’s albums (Off the Wall, 1979, Thriller, 1982) and the hit We Are the World (1985). In 2013, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has won 28 Grammy Awards and seven Oscars.
At the beginning of his career, he made a name for himself as a seasoned arranger and leader of big bands, with which he continued the best traditions of big band jazz (Basie, Ellington), while at the same time attempting to broaden the sound palette of the big band by introducing new instruments (including the French horn, flute, and soprano saxophone). Over time, elements of rock, soul and African folk music appeared in his arrangements. Jones’ achievements in the field of jazz were later somewhat overshadowed by his successes as a producer. He was considered one of the most interesting film music composers. He composed the music for many well-known films, including Mirage (1965, dir. E. Dmytryk), In Cold Blood (1967, dir. R. Brooks, Oscar for music), In the Heat of the Night (1967, dir. N. Jewison), John and Mary (1969, dir. P. Yates), Mackenna’s Gold (1969, dir. J.L. Thompson), The Colour Purple (1985, dir. S. Spielberg).
