” Mr. Jones its so nice to meet you! Ooooh and you smell good!” yep those were the words I said to a man who has been credited as the king daddy-o of modern jazz, orchestrations, and pop music! “I played Martha Reeves,” I nearly screamed in his ear! “Maaaartha!!!” he responded and laughed with genuine joy and affection. The cast each had their own moments with him as he held court with us for a nice amount of time after our Tuesday night performance. I was thrilled to meet him at this point in my life and career although I met him years ago as a teenage in the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta when our group performed at a birthday party for Jane Fonda. This somehow was much different though. In this incarnation I’ve read his biography, obsessed over his performances as he conducted the Rat Pack concerts in Vegas (I have the DVD box set), and google the fun questions like “Guess who scored the theme song for the hit tv sitcom Sandford & Son?” I’m a little obsessed and totally inspired by the lexicon of music that flows through this man’s mind! From the soundtrack to The Color Purple to Michael Jackson’s Thriller this man’s music shaped so much of the sounds my generation and generations before me have come to know and love. To meet him after performing in Berry Gordy’s Motown was a thrill simply because Quincy Jones, a statesman of music has the rare a true and absolute peer in someone like Berry Gordy. They are the two men who’s influence help to guide one of the most talented performers the world has known, Micheal Jackson. Good times indeed. What a great omen to meet such a great music man on the first day of several studio sessions to come for my Howlin’ project. with less than 48 hours to meet our goal, he was certainly a positive reminder of what a person can do with talent and creativity.
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