Quincy Jones features in Radio 2’s The Funk of Forty Thousand Years

The two-part documentary explores the origins and legacy of the music industry heavyweight.

Narrated by renowned DJ and Radio 2 presenter DJ Spoony, each episode highlights some of Quincy’s greatest achievements by delving into his ground-breaking work as a record producer, arranger, musician, composer, conductor, best-selling author, as well as film and TV producer.

Jones is one of only 18 others to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards, namely the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys and a Special Academy Award.

With a career spanning seven decades, he is one of the most successful and admired creative artists in history.

The programmes speak to some of the biggest names in the music industry and those who worked with him through his glory days, including musicians Vula Malinga and Craig David.

Episode one covers Quincy’s career from the 1950s, when he worked with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin, through to the late 70s when he’s become an established and successful artist, arranger and producer. He moved easily from scoring films, performing with orchestras and arranging and producing soul and funk albums.

DJ Spoony looks back to Quincy’s time as a trumpet player and arranger during the big band era of the 1950s. He learns how his career evolved after he collaborated with Frank Sinatra. It features the voices of composer John Altman, jazz pianist Reuben James, Dennis Seaton of Musical Youth, singer-songwriter Deniece Williams, Corrine Drewery from Swing Out Sister and more.

The second episode looks back to when Quincy Jones met Michael Jackson while he was making the Wiz. It led to them making of the legendary ‘Off The Wall’ album together, with Quincy producing it.

Howard Hewett of Shalamar and pianist and arranger Greg Phillinganes talk about the making of ‘Off The Wall’ and also ‘Thriller’.

Created in November 1982, ‘Thriller’ was produced entirely by Quincy and earned Jackson eight Grammy Awards and a Brit Award. It spent 37 non-consecutive weeks at number one and more than 500 weeks on the Billboard Album Chart.

The album has sold 100 million copies since its release and remains the best-selling album of all time.

There were other highlights for Quincy in the 1980s including producing music for George Benson and Donna Summer as well as producing his own albums, including The Dude, which featured vocals from Patti Austin and James Ingram.

Craig David and Dennis Seaton share their memories of meeting him, and we hear how Quincy moves into the world of hiphop. Featured artists include Claude McKnight of Take 6, Kym Mazelle, Craig David, and Vula Malinga.

You can hear Quincy Jones: Forty Thousand Years of Funk, episode one on 10 December and episode two on 17 December, 1-2am.