Quincy Jones influenced my piano playing and my musical mental model. My parents gave me a Quincy Jones “Best Of” album when I asked for a jazz album. Not much jazz on the album, mostly R&B, but that’s probably better — I play much more like a R&B player from the 70s than I do a jazzer from the 60s.

In college, a friend - Germono, introduced me to the film score of “The Wiz”. I became hooked. I wanted to arrange like Quincy Jones, I wanted to write like Quincy Jones, I wanted to do the work he did. I transcribed his scores onto score paper; I still remember a composition teacher I worked with criticizing my transcriptions.

Quincy’s passing is a chance to (not that I need one) to reinforce his contributions to the culture and to the music industry. Germono shared this 49-min Quincy tribute with me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Also, check out Germono’s music and work here.