Best Of Quincy Jones Review

08/05/2007 5:10 PM, AMG


Quincy Jones' A&M recordings, which roam gradually from the maestro's old big-band base to smoothly polished assaults on the pop charts, are given a cursory glance here. Special attention is paid to 1974's Body Heat, -- the big initial plunge into mainstream soul -- and the later hit albums Sounds...And Stuff like That and The Dude, at the expense of the early Creed Taylor-produced albums ("Killer Joe" is the sole representative) and transition records like Smackwater Jack ("What's Going On," with its anemic vocal by Q, is not the best choice). One reason why this best-of collection does not do justice to its subject is that it barely touches upon the fascinating tracks from all of Jones' A&M phases that feature galaxies of jazzmen. It is decent entertainment, though, for casual listening. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide