Renowned for his multidimensional roles as a jazz musician and arranger, composer, record producer, and for his work in film and TV, 89 year-old Quincy Jones, aka “Q,” has almost single-handedly managed to shape modern popular music over the course of seven decades. In his new book, 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity, out now from Abrams, Jones looks back over those decades to compile a compendium of inspiring aphorisms and experiential wisdom focused on the development of creativity and the power of self-expression.
Beginning with a shocking account of his mother’s tragic and frightening struggle with mental illness, Jones looks back over the traumas of his life as well as his triumphs—discovering the power of music in Seattle in the 1940s, his apprenticeship in jazz, and working with such stellar musical artists as Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, and Ray Charles, as well as producing Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling record album of all time, and Jackson’s all-star musical collaboration, We Are the World.
Publishers Weekly talked with Jones via email about how he turned personal tragedy into triumph, and how the study of music can bring harmony to your life.
Publishers Weekly: What inspired you to write 12 Notes?
Quincy Jones: I was very fortunate that as my life’s journey in music began, I had people who put me on their shoulders and taught me about music and the world so that I could achieve all of my dreams. People who shared their knowledge with me like Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, Clark Terry, Count Basie, Benny Carter, and countless others. They all taught me lessons that I carry with me to this day and their knowledge and faith in my abilities is what helped me to get to where I am. For me, sharing that knowledge is just a natural inclination. 12 Notes is a way to impart some of my life lessons on to the next generation.
You wrote Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones in 2001 and Q on Producing (with Bill Gibson) in 2010. Is your latest book a continuation and synthesis of those books?
Not necessarily. Both of those earlier publications are more of a chronicle of my life’s journey and experiences. 12 Notes reflects some simple life’s lessons and principles based on my journey that I think can be applied to any aspect of life or work. It’s a book that I wish I could’ve had access to as a young person, especially as a young musician.
You experienced and overcame a lot of tragedy in your life. Does an artist have to experience trauma to produce great art?
I’ve never subscribed to the idea of the tortured artist. It’s a theory that gets mythologized and romanticized, and that is a dangerous principle to operate from because in reality, for every successful artist who has had trauma in their life, there are dozens upon dozens more who have not and are incredibly successful. It is true that for me music became a replacement for my not having a mother, and it was an outlet for me to express my emotions creatively. But that was my individual journey. I recommend avoiding the trauma, if you can, and just focus on making great art (laughs).
In the book you write about music being an equal combination of science (mathematical concepts) and soul (intuition). Could you expound on that?
Music and mathematics are the only two absolutes in the world, but music stands alone because it draws on both the left and right brain simultaneously. That is why music is the most emotionally powerful artform. You can’t touch it, see it, taste or smell it. All you can do is feel it deep down in your soul. It can make you cry, laugh, dance, calm you or make you recall a memory. It is the only medium that has the ability to spark the entirety of the range of human emotions.
How are you able to keep such a positive, youthful attitude?
I have what I like to call “serial curiosity” and “serial optimism.” The embrace of both of those two traits keeps me going and keeps me excited about tomorrow. There is always something new coming over the horizon and if you’re not paying attention and open to embracing it, it will run over you like a freight train. And most importantly… do what you love, and love what you do. Love, laugh, live and give… that is my mantra.
You are a jazz musician at your core. Does the mastery of that music allow you to be fluent in other musical genres?
I’m a be-bopper/arranger at my core, but I always had an innate desire to learn all that I could about music. When I studied with the great classical music teacher and conductor Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1950’s, she would say “Quincy, there are only twelve notes. Until there is a thirteenth, learn everything that everyone has done with those twelve.” And that is exactly what I did. That is my foundation, and because of it, there is nothing that gives me pause musically, or in any other medium that I’m working in.
In the book you pay homage to your mentors, including your childhood friend Ray Charles, the legendary Count Basie, and to Boulanger. Tell us about the powerful advice given to you by the great tenor saxophonist Ben Webster.
On my first trip to Europe when I was 19, playing trumpet with Lionel Hampton’s band, the great sax player Ben Webster pulled me aside and told me that if you really want to learn about people, “wherever you go, eat the food the real people eat, listen to music the real people listen to, and learn thirty to forty words in every language.” And that is exactly what I did and still do. I’ve traveled the world hundreds-of-times over in my life and because of that simple piece of advice I received when I was nineteen, there’s not a country on the planet that I don’t feel comfortable in. And it doesn’t apply just to musicians. Everyone should do it. The world would be a better place for it.
You lament in the book that the United States does not have a minister of culture. Why do you feel that it is important that such a department be established?
Ours is only one of two Western countries that doesn’t have a Minister of Culture and I think it is a great detriment to our country, especially our young people, because they are disconnected from the entirety of our cultural heritage and its importance. It is America’s artistic contributions, especially its music, that is universally embraced by other cultures, pushing aside their own indigenous music and adopting ours as their Esperanto. I am of the mindset that you have to know where you come from to get to where you’re going. The arts, particularly our music, are the soul of our country. They are an expression of our spiritual ideals and a timeline of the emotional state of our nation … scars and all. It is a disservice to every American to not recognize them in their proper light.
In many ways you have been our unofficial minister of culture. How do you feel about your leading role in shaping the culture of the world for seven decades?
That is very kind of you to say. I’m just grateful that I was born at the time that I was, experienced all that I have, and been fortunate enough to live a wonderful life doing what I love to do. And I’m not done yet.
