Quincy Jones, the multitalented music titan whose vast legacy included collaborations with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, has died at the age of 91.
His publicist, Arnold Robinson, said the American record producer, songwriter and composer died on Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
Jones was married three times and had seven children. He rose from a rough neighbourhood on the South Side of Chicago to becoming one of the most powerful black executives in show business. His many credits include transforming Jackson from a child star to the 'King of Pop'.
Jackson's seminal 1982 album, Thriller, sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 and is considered one of the best-selling albums of all time. Jones also toured with jazz greats Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, and composed the soundtracks for Roots, the historic 1977 TV mini-series set during and after the era of enslavement in the US.
He also gave Will Smith a key break in the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which Jones produced, and through The Color Purple he introduced Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg to filmgoers.
His many honours include 28 Grammys, two honorary Academy Awards and an Emmy for Roots. He also received France’s Legion d’Honneur, the Rudolph Valentino Award from the Republic of Italy and a Kennedy Centre tribute for his contributions to American culture. He was the subject of a 1990 documentary, Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones, and a 2018 film by his daughter Rashida Jones. His 2001 memoir, Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones, also made him a best-selling author.
Jones also had a close relationship with the Middle East, and the UAE in particular, having visited the country many times over the years.
In 2011, along with Emirati entrepreneur Badr Jafar, he produced Tomorrow/Bokra, a charity track featuring 24 Arab artists from 16 countries from the Middle East and North Africa. Artists featured include Iraqi crooner Kadim Al Sahir, Egyptian pop stars Tamer Hosny and Sherine Abdel Wahab, Lebanese singer Marwan Khoury and the UAE singer-songwriter Fayez Al Saeed. The music video, which also featured Senegalese RnB star Akon, wracked up more than 31 million views on YouTube.
Jones and Jafar also partnered to create Global Gumbo Group, a Middle East-focused music and arts-focused platform, in 2013. The group launched The Dubai Music Week that year, featuring performances by top artists as well as panel discussions, workshops and mentoring programmes for budding regional artists.
In 2014, Jones was honoured with the Abu Dhabi Festival Award. Created by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, which organises the annual Abu Dhabi Festival, it recognises personalities for their contribution to arts and culture globally.
“The 2014 Abu Dhabi Festival Award recognises the unique commitment of Quincy Jones – one of the most important people in the history of music,” Admaf founder Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo said then. “Over the course of six decades, he has changed the way we create, listen and appreciate music throughout the world. His commitment to the development of the Arab music industry and to nurturing arts education across the region will undoubtedly benefit generations.”
Jones also opened Q's Bar and Lounge at the Palazzo Versace Dubai hotel in 2016. “Who knew back in the 1950s, that we’d see this today? It’s like a dream,” he told The National at the opening of the jazz club. “I’m just starting – we’re doing 10 movies, six albums and four Broadway shows, and a lot of other great things like this thing here.”
Reflecting on his success in his autobiography, Jones wrote: "Despite all the Grammys and the special awards and testimonials that maturity bestows, it will always be the values you carry within yourself – of work, love, and integrity – that carry the greatest worth, because these are what get you through with your dreams intact, your heart held firm and your spirit ready for another day."
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
