Few artists have a huge legacy, their names can be considered synonymous with the music industry, and yet most musicians are not great producers Quincy Jones.

The extraordinary figure died Sunday night at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family. He was 91 years old and was scheduled to receive a degree. honorary Academy Award at the end of this month.

Jones, who won a Grammy Award 28 times throughout his career, has worked with everyone from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra. michael jackson There are hundreds of them. Of course, the best way to celebrate his legacy is to listen to the music he made.

Read on and then listen to all the tracks on our site. Spotify playlist here.

Those who want to start Jones’ listening journey at the beginning of his career can do so with “Liza” from his first album, “Jazz Abroad”, a collaboration with Roy Haynes. Everyone should check out his arrangements on 1963’s “Ella and Basie!” Fitzgerald’s album With Count Basie’s orchestra. Building its own magnificence from vocals and bass alone – not to mention Fitzgerald’s exquisite scat solo – the album’s “Honeysuckle Rose” is an example of Jones’ jazz genius.

Teenager’s heartbreak matched Lesley Gore’s “This is My Party” It was recorded when the pop singer was still in her teens. Jones produced this album with its addictive melodies, percussion and upbeat horn section; This was emotional and in stark contrast to the story of a girl being dumped by her boyfriend for her best friend on her birthday. If it happened to you, you would cry too.

Jones’ legacy is defined by his distinctive ability to master a variety of American musical forms with apparent ease. That’s the case with this canonized cover Frank Sinatra, “Fly Me to the Moon” from Sinatra’s 1964 album “It Might as Well Be Swing” arranged by Jones. The producer set the song with a strong, swinging beat and a sad flute, and the rest is history. You can also thank Jones for “The Best Is Yet to Come.”

Jones composed the score for the 1967 film “In the Heat of the Night,” which included the R&B gospel title track “In the Heat of the Night” performed by his close friend Ray Charles. This is a soul dedicated to polishing, enhanced by the inclusion of a sensual tenor saxophone solo.

Perhaps Jones’ best-known production partnership is with Michael Jackson; The King of Pop and his culture-changing albums: 1979’s “Off the Wall,” 1982’s “Thriller” and 1987’s “Bad.” The two met while working on the 1978 film “Wiz” — Jones worked on the soundtrack and Jackson was its star. With its inventive disco-funk, ambitious production, and Jackson’s signature falsetto, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” sets the stage for the massive career to come.

Put him in the pantheon of great piano ballads: On Jones’ 1981 album “The Dude,” James Ingram takes on lead vocal duties on “Just Once,” a track with big heart and even bigger emotion.

Which songs are recognized more quickly? A long drum and bass roll introduces “Billie Jean,” one of the best anti-genre pop songs of all time, from Jackson’s record-breaking “Thriller” album. Jones’ production here is post-disco but still fun, still entertaining. And time tells the greatest story: ‘Thriller’ sold more Selling more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone, the album competed with the Eagles’ “Greatest Hits 1971-1975”, among others, as the best-selling album of all time.

Now let’s move on to something completely different: In 1982, Jones Donna Summer Her self-titled album includes the dance-forward album, which includes the synth-y pop single “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger),” which earned a Grammy nomination for best female R&B vocal performance.

Nearly four decades ago, some of the biggest stars on the planet (Jackson, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, and Bruce Springsteen among them) gathered for an all-night recording session. The result was: “We are the World” A pop superhit helmed by Jones, the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa.

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote “We Are the World” and is among the featured singers, would call Jones “the master orchestrator.”

In 1976, Jones produced the Brothers Johnson’s R&B hit “I’ll Be Good to You” and then re-recorded the track. Ray Charles and Chaka Khan – an exuberant number with contemporary production that completely transforms the classic.

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National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.