Screening Quincy Jones: Duke Ellington… We Love You Madly

Part of the yearlong event series Quincy Jones: Beyond Category

Originally presented on Friday, September 20, 2024, "Screening Quincy Jones" kicked off the USC Thornton School of Music’s year-long tribute to Quincy Jones. Working across styles and idioms including classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and film scoring—and breaking ground for African American achievement in the entertainment industries and in philanthropy—Jones has garnered the highest levels of critical and commercial acclaim.
This celebration of his seven decades of unprecedented professional creativity and excellence as a trailblazing cultural figure includes a vocal masterclass, panel conversations, close listening sessions, and more.

On the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s passing, a rare screening of the thrilling 1973 concert special, Quincy Jones’s television debut as music director and conductor for the groundbreaking composer alongside a stellar lineup of musicians including Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., and Aretha Franklin, was followed by a conversation moderated by Jason King, dean of USC Thornton School of Music. The panel featured music executive Ed Eckstine, Grammy Award–winning producer Gregg Field, and award-winning musican, composer, and USC Thornton professor Patrice Rushen.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Thornton School of Music in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective.

Videography by Adam Borecki / recording.LA
Edited by Tyler Eschendal