Back On The Block

Performer: Quincy Jones
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald; Sarah Vaughan; Chaka Khan; Dionne Warwick; Al Jarreau; Luther Vandross; Barry White; Bobby McFerrin
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Quincy Jones (vocals, keyboards, programming); Bobby McFerrin (vocals, bass, percussion); Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warrick, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Barry White, Take 6, Tevin Campell, James Ingram, El DeBarge, Al B. Sure! (vocals); Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel (rap vocals); James Moody, Gerald Albright (alto saxophone); Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis (trumpet); Herbie Hancock, George Duke (keyboards); George Benson, Steve Lukather, Paul Jackson, Jr., (guitar); Nathan East (bass); Harvey Mason (drums); Steve Porcaro, Josef Zawinul, Rod Temperton (programming); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion). Engineers include: Bruce Swedien, Don Cobb, Dave Frazier. Recorded at Oceanway Record One, Lighthouse Studios, Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, California; Digital Recorders, Nashville, Tennessee; Tarpan Studios, San Rafael, California. 1989's BACK ON THE BLOCK is a producer's record in every sense of the word. Although he produced and arranged every track, Quincy Jones is rarely front and center on his own album. Instead, every track is jazzed up--and souled up and rocked up and popped up--by a galaxy of guest stars. The range is remarkable; any album that can bring together Ella Fitzgerald and Ice-T has to have something going for it. That something is Jones's uncanny ability to match artists and songs; few other producers would have thought of a Ray Charles and Chaka Khan duet, and having that song be the exhilarating "I'll Be Good To You" is just lagniappe. Jones's jazz roots show proudly throughout, most particularly on the slinky bossa nova groove of "Septembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)" and the celebratory tribute "Birdland." However, BACK ON THE BLOCK is really a concept album about the 20th century evolution of African-American music.

Quincy Jones has been one of the most influential and respected figures in music since the 1950s. His gifts as an arranger and producer have brought him a great deal of success including multi-platinum albums by Michael Jackson, his own high-profile label (Qwest), and magazine (Vibe). His endeavors into straight jazz recording are relatively few, but they bore some great fruit in the late '50s and early '60s.

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