This isn't a technical guide that will serve as a reference for studio technicians. The marketing campaign behind the book is a bit misleading in that regard. Engineer Bruce Swedien, a Jones collaborator and source of info for this book, wrote In the Studio With Michael Jackson in 2009. His book angered some readers for arguably taking the opposite approach. While many readers expected an anecdotal memoir, the book is actually a very densely detailed technical guide to the equipment and techniques that were used in recording Jackson's albums. It's highly recommended for anyone craving an insider's look at the nuts and bolts of the recording process. But it's a considerably dryer insider's look. The Quincy Jones Legacy Series: Q on Producing works as a examination of an extraordinary and diverse career, but the scope is far broader.
A very nice bonus included with the book is a DVD featuring about 90 minutes of content. The bulk of the program consists of excepts from author Gibson's interviews with Jones. While this means that the information often doubles over from the text, it's still valuable seeing Jones himself tell the stories. Gibson plays a couple of recordings that Jones produced, isolating individual tracks, and Jones offers commentary. A shorter featurette focuses on the performing arts center named in Quincy Jones' honor at Seattle's Garfield High School (from which Jones graduated). Another brief piece allows for a glimpse of Jones at work in the studio, producing the theme for Shanghai's World Expo 2010.
I'm very interested in seeing what the next volume in The Quincy Jones Legacy Series has to offer. This book provides ample background information about Jones' career and approach to producing music, illustrated with many photos. It works very well as an introduction to the role a truly visionary producer can play in the way recorded music sounds.
Article comments