From Q, With Love

02/09/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Denise McIver

That enduring genius of sacred baroque music, Johann Sebastian Bach, believed that all music had only one purpose and that purpose was solely for the recreation of the spirit. If Bach is correct, then Quincy Jones, whose career spans over half a century, has fully dedicated himself to helping us all re-create and reconnect with our souls.

This is clearly demonstrated in his latest release, From Q, With Love, which is a two-CD career retrospective of some of his most lushly romantic work. The set contains a wealth of musical styles--Brazilian ("Setembo"), hip hop ("Rock With You" featuring Brandy and Heavy D), and pure R&B ("You Put A Move On My Heart"). He pays homage to "Ol' Blue Eyes" with a live, 1996 recording of Sinatra, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, performing the Johnny Mandel classic, "The Shadow Of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper)." There are even four new tracks, including the single "I'm Yours," which features Siedah Garrett and El DeBarge.

And, as if this wasn't enough, there's Aretha Franklin singing the Bernstein/Sondheim anthem, "Somewhere," infused with a transcendent luminosity only she can give a song. Even if you're a hardcore atheist, this is a song that just might make you reconsider your beliefs.

All in all, this collection is noteworthy because of Jones's willingness to allow free rein of his finely-honed artistic sensibilities as a composer and arranger, combined with his unique ability to use disparate elements to create new sounds, new moods, and oftentimes new music.