Entertainment
Quincy Jones, in his own words for the L.A. Times: 'If it can’t get funky, brother, you don’t touch it'
The late Quincy Jones’ life spanned the entirety of modern American pop music — a tradition he absorbed, influenced and reinvented for generations. It’s remarkable to look back on the composer, arranger and producer’s life and hear him speak on his friendships and work with Sidney Poitier, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur, among hundreds more.
Over the years, The Times spoke to Jones — who died Sunday at 91 — at many junctures in his career, where he recalled being a Black composer in Hollywood in a less-enlightened mid-century climate; making perhaps the biggest pop album of the century with Michael Jackson, and his heartbreak over gangsta rap’s real world violence that touched his family.
Jones’ philosophy on music was cosmopolitan and curious from the start. He traveled widely, and as a composer, he learned from European classical and folk traditions, pairing them with the innovations of Black art forms like American jazz.
Traditional music “enhances your soul,” he told The Times in 2001. “Because you see that most countries, the evolution of their music is based on the roots of their folk music, like ours is. [Béla] Bartók came out of Hungarian folk music. The Scandinavian folklore is awesome. All those tunes that Miles [Davis] and Stan Getz played, ‘Dear Old Stockholm,’ beautiful folk music, you can’t believe how beautiful it is. Traveling is the best education there is. You’re experiencing their food that they like to eat and their language and their music. And that’s the soul. That’s the real stuff. They would tell us: Don’t go to the souk [a marketplace or bazaar]! Don’t go to the casbah! That’s just where we went. That’s like going to the ‘hood! I’m right up in there in a minute, baby.”
Jazz, one of his first loves, imbued everything he did in film scores, pop and education. “[Count] Basie, Clark Terry, it was an amazing education,” he said. “I talk a lot now. But I used to sit down and shut up and listen to them. Because old people know what they are talking about, they’ve been there. All of the young brothers that call Louis Armstrong a ‘Tom’ and all that stuff. This is the man who invented our music. He had no samples, he has no radio station or nothing to listen to. He’s just inventing it. Art Blakey told Branford Marsalis, ‘We had to take a lot so you can do your little flip stuff.’ It’s true. There is a lot of blood out there.”
“Before I die, I want to be a part of a way for Americans to know their own music,” he added. “They don’t get it. We’ve got the greatest mother ship on the planet. We’ve got to talk to the administration. We need a minister of culture — I don’t want to do it, but we need one. Everyone’s got one. This country’s culture is the Esperanto of the world. It’s the first thing that they cut from schools, but if they had it, [there] would be a better spirit in the country.”
Jones came to early renown as a film composer, where he wrote the scores to Oscar-winning “In the Heat of the Night,” “The Wiz,” “In Cold Blood” and “The Color Purple,” among many others. But breaking that ground was an often lonely endeavor for a Black artist in mid-century Hollywood.
“Sidney Poitier and I were the only ones out there,” said Jones, who scored several films starring Poitier, a close friend. “He handed me the baton for composers.”
As recording technology evolved away from simply documenting live performances to an artistic craft of its own, Jones adapted his methods for a new era. But he always tried to emphasize the human qualities of being in a room together with a band, reading each other.
“The essence of the music is designed to interact. Synthesizers and drum machines? That’s not interaction,” he said in 2001. “When I recorded with [Frank] Sinatra, Sinatra sitting right there in the booth, looking me, the rhythm section and the trumpet section straight in the eye. That was the only way we knew. And I can handle it any different way. Because I’ve worked with all the generations. It keeps moving. A lot of the guys didn’t want to change. … Now it’s modular and layers and overdubs and all of that.”
Yet Jones was quick to see the potential in new electronic instruments, and used a then-nascent Moog synthesizer to write his theme for 1967’s “Ironside.”
“Robert Moog said to me, ‘Quincy, why don’t the brothers use my instrument?’ ” he recalled in 2017. “I said, ’Cause, man, No. 1: we sculpt an electronic signal into a sine wave that’s smooth, or a sawtooth, which is rough. The problem with it, though, is it doesn’t bend. And if it doesn’t bend, it can’t get funky. And if it can’t get funky, brother, you don’t touch it.’ So he came up with a pitch-bender and a portamento on it … and I got it, real quick.”
In the world of pop music, Jones’ work with Jackson, especially on the era-dominating LP “Thriller,” changed everything . “It was the perfect convergence of forces,” he said, in 2009’s moving reminiscence after Jackson’s death. ”In the music business, every decade you have a phenomenon. In the ‘40s you had Sinatra, in the ‘50s Elvis [Presley], in the ‘60s the Beatles. …In the ‘80s you had Michael Jackson.”
Jones discussed how he refined the gifts that made Jackson such a potent performer. “We owned the ‘80s and our souls would be connected forever,” he said. “Evoking Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all at once, he’d work for hours, perfecting every kick, gesture and movement so that they came together precisely the way they were intended to. We tried all kinds of tricks that I’d learned over the years to help him with his artistic growth, like dropping keys just a minor third to give him flexibility and a more mature range in the upper and lower registers, and more than a few tempo changes. I also tried to steer him to songs with more depth, some of them about real relationships…
“At one point during the session, the right speaker burst into flames. How’s that for a sign?” He asked. “It’s no accident that almost three decades later, no matter where I go in the world, in every club and karaoke bar, like clockwork, you hear ‘Billie Jean,’ ‘Beat It,’ ‘Wanna Be Starting Something,’ ‘Rock With You’ and ‘Thriller.’ ”
After Jackson’s ‘80s peak, as hip-hop became the dominant commercial force in pop music, he spoke with sadness and insight about how music designed to reflect real-world pain and neglect could also succumb to it. Jones, the founder and chairman of Vibe magazine whose daughter Kidada was engaged to Shakur at the time of his death, and Jones said for “the rest of my life” he’d pursuing peace within Black music.
“We need a coalition of the hip-hop nation,” he said. “I guess hip-hop has been closer to the pulse of the streets than any music we’ve had in a long time. It’s sociology as well as music, which is in keeping with the tradition of black music in America. If you read the musicology books, you don’t always get the full story.”
If major labels “participate in the profits of the music” suffering under violence, he added, “They have a responsibility for it. You’ve got to keep going, man. What else do you do? Go under? I wouldn’t be devoting my time to this if I didn’t think positively. The community has got to get it together. We want to help these young people survive and live out their talents and dreams.”
Looking back on his career, Jones bristled at the idea that his later achievements were due to his stature and connections rather than consistently inventive musicianship.
“What bothers me, people young and old try to minimize you by saying, ‘Well, Quincy’s strongest suit is that he’s got a strong telephone book … and he can just call up anybody!’ ” he said in 2001. “Now that’s the funniest thing. I spent most of my life perfecting my skills. I wanted to be a great arranger, great orchestrator and great composer. That was it from 13. I did my thing. And then I was able to apply all of the elements. They see you sitting at a console holding your head like this, thinking, people don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve done 40,000 arrangements, 40 movies, I’ve worked with every singer on the planet, Black or white, Nana Mouskouri, Charles Aznavour, Stevie [Wonder]. That’s a lot of work. Like you don’t have to do anything. You just have a telephone book and call a bunch of great guys up. Please, man! That will get you two inches.”
Jones was never short on words when it came to setting the record straight about critics who tried to paint him as a sellout. By staying true to the craft of music in whatever shape or form he could, Jones may not have sold out, but his work made an indisputable mark and sold immensely.
“I started as an arranger first. That’s how I became a producer,” he said in 2001. “It’s a path you go through as an arranger that opens up a lot of doors of understanding. You work with all kinds of different people from Dinah Washington and Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Sinatra, Aretha [Franklin], Sarah [Vaughan], Ella [Fitzgerald], Carmen McRae. You learn so much by that school. That school doesn’t exist now, so it’s hard for them to understand what that gives you. Seven hundred miles a night for years. Traveling on that band bus. Seventy gigs in just the Carolinas. Twenty-seven in California. Everywhere. It’s ridiculous. And get stranded with a big band in Europe, and some sucker is gonna come talk to me about sellin’ out. Please. Give me a break. Yo mama!”
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Augustana chapter.
During Thanksgiving week, I saw Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. I went in thinking the movie would be just another cash grab that would be lifeless and mediocre. However, I was proven incredibly wrong, and for that, I am grateful. And I cannot wait for the second part coming next year. I will wait patiently, hoping it is as great as the first part.
Anyway, enough ranting; let’s get into the movie. Wicked is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, based on the book “The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, which is loosely based on L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wizard of Oz.”
John Chu directed the movie, which delivers a dazzling cinematic experience. As I’ve stated before, the film is split into two parts. With stunning visuals and stirring performances, it explores the origins of Elphaba and Glinda while tying together themes of friendship, prejudice, and the cost of ambition.
The film is a sensory extravaganza with a vivid production design that captures Oz in stunning detail. Chu elevates the musical numbers with dynamic camera work and visual effects, fusing real-world sets with CGI to produce an incredible yet engaging atmosphere. However, there are some moments where the visuals drag. The lighting could often be better, which could take away from the visuals. Other than that, it is excellent.
Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba is especially remarkable because of her nuanced performance, which successfully captures the character’s vulnerability and strength. Her rendition of “Defying Gravity” is a cinematic high point, cementing her as the film’s heart. I felt euphoric and goosebumps, as though I were with her in that instant, defying gravity. In her portrayal of Glinda, Ariana Grande excelled at balancing her comedic charm and emotional depth, especially in her rendition of “Popular.” I laughed at times, which was surprising as it wasn’t advertised as a comedy. Unquestionably, Erivo and Grande have chemistry together, highlighting the complexity of their friendship.
Overall, Wicked was an excellent character-driven story. It was enjoyable with its lush visuals, unforgettable performances, and narrative. The ending perfectly sets the stage for part two. I know it left me wanting even more.
Entertainment
'Cambodian Rock Band,' revised 'Flower Drum Song' lead East West Players’ 2025-26 season
East West Players artistic director Lily Tung Crystal has unveiled the lineup for her inaugural season at the helm of the nation’s oldest and largest producer of Asian American theater.
The company’s 60th anniversary season includes a blend of classic texts and bold new works, all which are from Asian American writers and will be presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district.
“I wanted the season to honor our elders who paved the way for the past 60 years, and also to uplift the new generation who are coming forward in the next 60 years,” Tung Crystal told The Times last week.
“Throughout this season, I want people to see the power and artistry of Asian American theater in the United States: we’re not only creating the Asian American theater canon, but we’re creating the American theater canon.”
The season launches with the L.A. premiere of Lauren Yee’s “Cambodian Rock Band” (Feb. 13-March 9, 2025), about a Khmer Rouge survivor who returns to Cambodia after 30 years as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of the country’s most notorious war criminals. Featuring classic Cambodian rock hits and songs from the L.A. band Dengue Fever, the play made its world premiere at South Coast Repertory in 2018 and has since been programmed all over the country.
“Yee’s play is a fierce, gorgeous, heartwarming, comedic fairy tale set against one of history’s grisliest mass extinctions,” wrote Margaret Gray in her review for The Times in 2018. “Yee has made her characters so joyfully and ridiculously human that it’s impossible — to a heartbreaking degree — not to identify with them.”
Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim, Brooke Ishibashi, Jane Lui and Raymond Lee in the world premiere of “Cambodian Rock Band” at South Coast Repertory in 2018.
(Jordan Kubat/South Coast Repertory)
This production, which will reunite the world premiere’s original cast and director Chay Yew, brings the show to Los Angeles County, the home of the largest ethnically Cambodian population outside of Cambodia. Center Theatre Group initially planned for the piece to play at the Mark Taper Forum, but that run was canceled due to CTG’s programming pause last season.
Tung Crystal had helmed a Theater Mu/Jungle Theater co-production of the play in 2022, and while planning this EWP season, “I thought, it’s too bad that L.A. never had its production, especially since Lauren was inspired to write the show because she went to a Dengue Fever concert here,” she said. “L.A. deserves its own production of this magnificent show.” (And it’s moving forward with CTG’s blessing, with artistic director Snehal Desai telling The Times, “We are thrilled that East West Players is able to bring this incredibly powerful work to LA.”)
The season continues with a revival of Philip Kan Gotanda‘s “Yankee Dawg You Die” (July 3-27, 2025), about two Asian American actors at different stages of their careers, and the painful compromises required of actors of color to succeed in Hollywood. The play, which debuted in L.A. in 1988, was last staged by East West Players in 2001.
“It’s a beautiful play that still really captures the obstacles and challenges about representation in Hollywood for Asian American actors,” said Tung Crystal of the two-actor text. “Including it as part of our 60th season, it’s a reminder of the obstacles we’ve had and, decades later, the obstacles we’re still fighting to overcome.”
East West Players then presents the simultaneous world premiere of Prince Gomolvilas’ “Paranormal Inside” (Oct. 9-Nov. 2, 2025) with Theater Mu in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska.
The previously announced supernatural play is a haunting sequel to Gomolvilas’ “The Brothers Paranormal,” about two Thai siblings who launch a ghost-hunting enterprise. Jeff Liu, who helmed EWP’s production of “The Brothers Paranormal” in 2022, will direct the subsequent co-commission.
David Huynh and Roy Vongtama in “The Brothers Paranormal” at East West Players in 2022.
(Jenny Graham/East West Players)
The season also includes the Southern California premiere of Jaclyn Backhaus‘ “Wives” (March 5-29, 2026), about some of history’s most influential men through the eyes of their equally formidable spouses. The historically subversive comedy, which debuted off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2019, jumps between 16th century France, 1920s India and 1960s Idaho, and will feature a South Asian and South Asian American cast.
“One of my visions is to try to represent the Asian American diaspora as diversely and comprehensively as possible, so it was important to include a piece by a South Asian American writer in the season,” said Tung Crystal. “But also, ‘Wives’ is a sign of what’s to come at East West Players: feminist work, work by women and nonbinary writers, incisive and innovative work that’s intersectional in terms of gender, race, queerness and other marginalized communities.”
The season wraps with a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song” (May 28-June 21, 2026), featuring a newly updated book by David Henry Hwang. The playwright previously revised the golden-era musical — about Mei-li, a young Chinese opera artist who arrives in 1950s San Francisco Chinatown and is immediately drawn into the dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs — with a rethought libretto in 2001; that version premiered at the Mark Taper Forum before a brief Broadway run.
Playwright David Henry Hwang, photographed in 2011.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Tung Crystal always planned on including a Hwang text in EWP’s 60th anniversary season — “His name is on our theater, after all!” she said with a laugh — and it was Hwang who suggested debuting a revised “Flower Drum Song,” something he’s been wanting to do for some time.
“‘Flower Drum Song’ changed my life because, as a young person watching the movie, it was the first time I’d seen Asian American actors and singers of that caliber onscreen,” said Tung Crystal, who directed a production at Palo Alto Players in 2019 and will helm the new version at East West Players. “And though the original has its flaws and stereotypes, it has a soft spot in my heart as an homage to San Francisco Chinatown, a place that’s very important to me.”
East West Players is also continuing its Theatre for Youth tour initiative of commissioning playwrights to create pieces about Asian American and Pacific Islander historical figures. This season’s Theatre for Youth touring production is a return engagement of Elizabeth Wong’s “Tam Tran Goes to Washington,” which was commissioned in 2017 and centers on an undocumented dreamer who becomes a student activist.
Movie Reviews
Pushpa 2: Social media user’s ‘brutal review’ of Allu Arjun movie goes viral, says ‘He uses his teeth to…’ | Today News
A social media user has given a ‘brutal’ review to the latest record-breaking movie, Pushpa 2. The user stated that the film lacks logic and that educated people will not appreciate it.
He especially pointed out a scene where the film’s lead actor, Allu Arjun, uses his teeth to fight the goons. He also mentioned that only uneducated people would appreciate this movie.
“Our fault is, despite being educated, we went to watch the film,” he said.
However, several social media users disagree with his review. Few users criticised the reviewer for questioning the educational qualification of the audience.
One of the users commented, “I always say that if you want to watch a South Indian Masala film, leave your brain at home and just watch the movie for entertainment. It’s not an intellectual activity.”
“I am a Chartered Accountant, so am I qualified to review or not?
I loved the movie, especially the action sequences.
The main aim of the picture is entertaining the audience, and it does.
Otherwise,if we judge by logical sense of action scenes, then most films would be rated 0,” another user added.
“Kon kon hai ye jo sun kr movie dekhne nh jaega (Who will not watch the movie after this review?),” one of the users commented.
Another added, “Movie is for entertainment if you didn’t like the film then criticise it but why are dragging people’s literacy here ? Why their education matters when it’s about entertainment ? Even if you defend these then what would you expect from a film which is set around a backward region.”
The Allu Arjun-Rashmika Mandanna starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule hit the theatres on December 5, and its collections are breaking many records. The action thriller is the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise, the 2021 blockbuster film.
Apart from Rashmika Mandanna and Fahad Faasil, the film is directed by Sukumar, with Pushpa (Allu Arjun) facing off against Shekhawat (Faasil). The film also stars Jagapathi Babu, Dhananjaya, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, and Anasuya Bharadwaj in prominent roles.
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