Jones co-directed and co-wrote the Netflix doc about her father Quincy Jones’ prolific career in music.
Quincy Jones has had one of the most legendary careers in the entertainment industry and on Friday night, his accomplishments were honored with the premiere of the documentary Quincy at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, with Rashida Jones, Diane Warren and Ted Sarandos in attendance.
Jones rose from the slums of the South Side of Chicago to become one of the most successful and prolific composers and music producers of all time, working with such legendary talents as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, for whom he produced Thriller, the best selling album in the history of music.
Rashida spoke to THR about why this was the right time to make a film about her father.
“My dad’s story is also the story of black America. He was born in the 30s. He’s seen every decade since. He’s been relevant in every decade since so we’re dealing with a lot of race stuff in this country and it’s important to tell the stories of the past,” Rashida said. “It’s the only way we can learn. It’s the only way we can change and evolve and this is the great way to do it.”
The film brought out Quincy’s friends, family and several important people from his past, including the original band from the Thriller album. Warren and Sarandos were seen chatting excitedly with each other about the film in the lobby of the theater before the premiere.
Rashida co-directed the film with Alan Hicks, who told THR the most exciting things he learned about her father while doing research on him.
“I would learn something every day because Rashida and I would work in the archives and just pour over all the material and you’d find out a new thing every day. For example, I found out that he was in the room with Miles Davis when he recorded Kind Of Blue. And then you found out that he had the first music that was ever played on the moon and that he made all of these discoveries like Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey.”
The film covers every decade in Quincy’s life, documenting both his professional successes and his personal struggles and culminates in his production of a television special to celebrate the opening of the National Museum of African American and Culture in Washington D.C., which featured appearances by Barack and Michelle Obama, Winfrey and John Legend.
The conclusion of the film was greeted with a long and sustained standing ovation for both the film and for Jones who was in attendance.
After the movie, guests headed over to the ballroom at the Neuehouse in Hollywood, where they enjoyed beef sliders, mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto and chicken meatballs and were entertained with a musical performance by R&B singer Lalah Hathaway, who at one point was accompanied by Michael Jackson’s musical director Greg Phillanganes while she sang Jackson’s hit “Human Nature.”
“I am constantly in awe of how much he’s managed to cram into a lifetime,” Rashida noted. “He’s not done. He’s 85 and he’s not done.”
