DVD Reviews

Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration

When I first received this DVD I was very excited. The thought of watching a Quincy Jones concert (something I had never had the pleasure to do) really got to me. So I was a little surprised when I put the DVD in the player and up came The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin and Stevie Woods but not Quincy Jones. “No problem, Mr. Jones would come out for the second song” I thought. But when James Moody and Rahsaan Patterson started into Let the Good Times Roll I knew something was up.  Seems this was not a DVD of a Quincy Jones concert but a DVD of a concert FOR Quincy Jones. This was a tribute concert put on for Quincy Jones on his 75^th birthday at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008.

Founded in 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival has established itself as one of the most prestigious annual music events in the world. A few mentors have marked the life of Claude Nobs, founder and CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival, and Quincy Jones is definitely one of them. Quincy’s 75^th birthday was an ideal opportunity to pay a tribute. For almost a year, work was underway to make this evening a unique world event and all the artists accepted without hesitation, some even volunteering to take part! The result is a very impressive line-up and a very well-deserved tribute to a giant who has one of the most remarkable careers in the history of music.

Tracklisting:
 

DVD #1

1. Introduction by Claude Nobs
2. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin & Stevie Woods
3. Let The Good Times Roll – Rahsaan Patterson & James Moody
4. Makin' Whoopee – Patti Austin
5. Moody's Mood – James Moody & Patti Austin
6. The Television Song – James Moody & John Robinson
7. Honeysuckle Rose – Freda Payne & Joe Sample
8. Shiny Stockings – Freda Payne & Joe Sample
9. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town / In The Heat Of The Night – Mick Hucknall
10. If I Ever Lose This Heaven – Ledisi
11. Midnight Sun – Al Jarreau & Larry Williams
12. One Mint Julep – Petula Clark
13. Goin' To Chicago Blues – Petula Clark & Paolo Nutini
14. My Ship / Summertime – Franco Ambrosetti
15. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – Nana Mouskouri & James Morrison
16. Almost Like Being In Love – Nana Mouskouri & James Morrison
17. Miss Celie's Blues (Sister) – Chaka Khan, Patti Austin & Greg Phillinganes
18. What's Going On – Ledisi, James Morrison, Rahsaan Patterson, Tobias Preisig, Patrice Rushen & Toots Thielemans
19. Eyes Of Love (Carol's Theme) / Bluesette – Toots Thielemans

 

DVD #2

1. Walking In Space – Chaka Khan & Lee Ritenour
2. Strawberry Letter 23 – Paolo Nutini & Lee Ritenour
3. How Do You Keep The Music Playing – Patti Austin
4. The Dude – Al Jarreau
5. Billie Jean – Naturally 7
6. Wall Of Sound – Naturally 7
7. Mama Aifambeni – Angelique Kidjo
8. State Of Independence – Angelique Kidjo & Larry Williams
9. Everything Must Change – Curtis Stigers
10. Cool Joe, Mean Joe (Killer Joe) – Herbie Hancock
11. Ai No Corrida – Patti Austin, Gabi Goldberg, Dorothea Lorene, Stevie Woods, Kent Stetler & Billy Cobham
12. Stuff Like That – Monty Alexander, Patti Austin, Petula Clark, Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Angelique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Nils Landgren, Ledisi, James Moody, James Morrison, Nana Mouskouri, Naturally 7, Rahsaan Patterson, Freda Payne, Patrice Rushen, Joe Sample, Curtis Stigers & Larry Williams

Audio is presented in DTS Surround, Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Stereo. All tracks sound great but for the purpose of this review, I listened mostly to the DTS track as I felt (and usually do) that it had a little more impact behind it. The dynamic range is just amazing. Low end packs a punch and the high end screams out over top but nothing ever comes across distorted. While I might gripe a bit about the levels of certain instruments during the show, those are personal preferences and can’t be faulted on the producers of the DVD.

As this concert footage is from 2008 I wasn’t exactly surprised to see that the quality of the anamorphic widescreen transfer was above par. Colours are perfectly reproduced from skin tones to red, yellow and blue lights. Black levels aren’t as deep as I would have liked considering the quality of the video. Detail is amazing. Though a little lacking in distant shots, in close-ups you can see everything. Lines are crisp and you can see right down to the little ridges on the cymbals. I didn’t see any grain, artifacting or edge enhancement.

The first extra in this release isn’t found on either of the two discs but within the packaging. Included with this release is a small 45+ page booklet. The booklet is a combination song listing (including composer/arranger and artists who performed the track during the concert) and thank you to Quincy Jones from many of the artists involved in the concert. The only extra on the actual DVD is found on the second disc. “Thank Q: A Montreux Tribute to Quincy Jones” is a combination of footage following Quincy around for the day during his birthday, video thank yous from several people involved with the concert, some behind-the-scenes footage from the concert and the unveiling of a statue of Quincy Jones in Montreux. Both extras are a little hodge podge and not very informative and I was surprised there was no documentary on the history of Mr. Jones and his music considering what this concert was all about.

While not the Quincy Jones concert I was hoping for, the performers and their performances were absolutely amazing and the choice of Quincy Jones music was perfect. I can’t fault the concert one bit and I’m sure die hard fans of Mr. Jones, if they weren’t able to make the concert themselves, would love to own this DVD release. Though I don’t exactly like the packaging used (cardboard case that just flops open) and the extras aren’t much to write about, the music of Quincy Jones truly makes this a wonderful concert DVD to own.

Review By Rob Harding