MGF Reviews Quincy Jones – The 75th Birthday Celebration: Live at Montreux 2008

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Quincy Jones – The 75th Birthday Celebration: Live at Montreux 2008 [2-DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (7/21/09)
Unrated
172 minutes

Claude Nobs and I have been friends since before electricity.

We are truly brothers from another mother—our friendship happened in a nano-second and will last forever.

These are a few quotes by the legend Quincy Jones, referring to his relationship with the creator of Switzerland’s annual (and legendary) Montreux Jazz Festival, Claude Nobs. After adding some very kind words of his own about Quincy in the liner notes, Nobs adds, “We are indeed brothers from another mother, and maybe have a father from another planet!” So is the admiration and respect these two gentlemen have for each other that inspired this two-disc, all-star tribute to Quincy Jones packed with hours of killer jazz, blues, funk, soul and rock.

The lineup of guest artists is daunting, and they are featured in some incredible performances, displaying love for both their craft and the night’s honoree. Included in said lineup: Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, James Moody, Joe Sample, Toots Thielemans, Beverley Knight, Nils Landgren and Patti Austin. Also worth special mention is The Montreux “In The House” Band and The Swiss Army Big Band for really providing a solid backbone for all these performances and making the songs truly shine.

One of the first disc’s highlights is opener “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, in which Patti Austin affixes the song’s trademark melody line with her beautiful, falsetto vocals while Herbie Hancock tickles the ivories, sprinkling jazz-flavored cowboy motifs into the mix. Stevie Woods should also get some props for his backing vocals here.

Another Patti Austin gem is “Moody’s Mood” including James Moody himself on vocals and sax, while Freda Payne (who looks wonderful for her age, by the way) performs a soothing version of “Shiny Stockings”. Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall totally brings the soul on the medley of “I’m Gonna Move to The Outskirts Of Town/In the Heat of the Night”, while “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” is entrancingly fulfilled by one of my favorite vocalists, Ledisi.

The second disc opens with a throwback arrangement from Jones called “Walking in Space”, from the 1969 album of the same name. Chaka Khan serves up the dreamy melody on this number, while singer Paolo Nutini and guitarist Lee Ritenour are big-time standouts on the Shuggie Otis classic “Strawberry Letter 23”.

Al Jarreau implements “The Dude” as his second stand-out performance of the night (after “Midnight Sun”) while Naturally 7 fuses past and present sounds on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. “Cool Joe, Mean Joe (Killer Joe)” turned out to be a jam-and-a-half, led by Herbie Hancock and his bright-white, portable synthesizer.

Throughout all the musical stylings, tempos and moods, this double disc also features a bonus, behind the scenes look at the event, including rehearsals and backstage footage. Accompanying the discs and bonus footage is an amazing 47-page, full-color booklet with performance photos, artist quotes and more-than-informative liner notes. This is a must-have for jazz fans and those who can respect the musical diversity in which the annual Montreux Jazz Festival brings to the table.

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