The power of collaboration: Here’s how Quincy Jones changed the music industry

On the sleeve notes of the most memorable and best-selling albums of all time, you’ll find the words “Produced and arranged by Quincy Jones.”

It was a sign of quality.

Jones, who died on November 3, 2024, aged 91, changed our understanding of music composition. His career spanned decades and genres, from jazz and pop to hip-hop and film scores. He has worked with pop icons such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, and collaborated with lesser known artists such as Lesley Gore and Tevin Campbell.

Each of his projects, collaborations and forays into new genres has redefined what it means to edit music.

As a professor of music business and entrepreneurship, I have studied and taught Jones’ techniques, which I hope can inspire the next generation of musicians.

Master music maker

The arrangement of music may seem like an abstract concept.

Simply put, it’s the art of determining how a song goes. While the composer writes the melody and harmony, the arranger shapes the experience, choosing which instruments play when, how the texture builds and where the dynamics change.

Editing transforms a song from notes on paper into a fully realized piece of art that resonates with listeners. Essentially, the arranger works like a composer, designing the structure of a song to tell a compelling story.

Jones brought a visionary approach to planning. He wasn’t just filling in the gaps around the song with a drum beat here and a horn part there; he composed a musical story that gave each instrument a purpose, guiding the audience on an emotional journey.

From his early work in the 1950s and 1960s with jazz legends such as Count Basie and R&B star Ray Charles, to his blockbuster productions with Michael Jackson, Jones saw arrangement as a tool to guide listeners from one music to the next.

Raising voices

His work “Sinatra at the Sands” is one example.

Jones created powerful big band arrangements, which perfectly complement Sinatra’s smooth and warm voice. The choice of brass swells and dynamic shifts enhanced Sinatra’s charisma, making the album a joyous, almost cinematic experience. Unlike most arrangements, which tend to sit in the background, Jones’ took center stage, blending in with Sinatra’s vocals while adding depth and excitement to the entire performance.

In Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” Jones used orchestral swells and background vocals to bring out the soul in Charles’ voice, creating a rich emotional experience for listeners. By cleverly pairing Charles’ gospel-tinged vocals with a polished, instrumental arrangement, Jones captured the tension between grief and intensity – a testament to his ability to communicate complex emotions through the medium.

Turning songs into stories

Jones’ ability to use the show as a conversational tool was demonstrated in his collaboration with Jackson.

Albums like “Thriller” and “Off the Wall” showcased Jones’ ability to create spontaneous sounds. On “Thriller,” Jones combined electronic and acoustic elements to create a multidimensional soundscape that sets a new standard for production.

His ability to incorporate technique, background vocals and unique instrumental choices – such as the dramatic narration of horror actor Vincent Price in the song “Thriller” – transformed pop music, setting the stage for future producers to try to tell a story with their arrangements.

On Jackson’s “Bad,” Jones crossed genre boundaries by combining funk rhythms with pop structures, giving Jackson’s music a timeless appeal.

The arrangement of the title track has layers of rhythm and harmony that create a sense of tension and power, enhancing Jackson’s message of confidence and defiance. Each instrument and vocal behind “Bad” serves a purpose, creating a bright, exciting and engaging sound.

Courses for teachers

For teachers teaching music production and commercial music, Jones’ method provides a gold mine of practical lessons.

First, his commitment to genre composition teaches students the importance of working in a variety of ways. Jones’ work shows that combining jazz, pop, funk and classical elements can create something new and accessible. Students can learn to break free from the confines of one genre’s production, seeing how different musical styles can work together to create new, engaging sounds.

Second, Jones’s emphasis on narrative storytelling provides students with a framework for making meaningful music.

In my classes, I encourage students to ask themselves: How does each musical element support the emotional line of the song? By studying Jones’ arrangements, students learn to think of themselves as storytellers, not just sound engineers. They may begin to see arrangement as an art form in itself – one that has the power to captivate an audience by drawing them on a musical journey.

Ultimately, Jones’ work shows the power of collaboration. His willingness to work across genres and with different artists – each bringing different perspectives – shows the importance of an open mind and adaptability.

His life’s work is a reminder that music is more than just sound; it is an experience shaped by careful, deliberate, loud and quiet decisions in a piece of music that serves a purpose.

Jose Valentino Ruiz is an associate professor of music business and entrepreneurship at the University of Florida.

This article has been republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the first article.