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Rising up from poverty, Jones spent his early musical career playing trumpet with big band swing legend Count Basie, and worked as a young arranger for jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. He went on to learn classical composition in Paris under Nadia Boulanger, whilst living across the street from Picasso.
Jones became one of the first ever Black music executives signed to a US record label, and over the course of his career, his vision for transmuting musical talent into enormous pop successes earned him a staggering 28 Grammys, with collaborations spanning icons like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin, shaping the sounds of jazz, pop, soul, and film.
Tune in for two hours paying tribute to his recent passing, compiled by Jean-Claude Thompson (IF Music).