Quincy Jones – Back On The Block (1989, Qwest)

Un’opera che richiede quasi dieci anni di lavorazione. Quincy Jones inizia a sognare questo kolossal nel 1981, subito dopo il successo di The Dude, ma per una serie di impegni (colonne sonore, produzioni varie) deve riprendere e rimandare più volte il progetto. Tutto questo permette però di poter contare su un cast assolutamente eccezionale, che sarebbe stato impensabile radunare in tempi ristretti. L’idea era quella di realizzare un album che raccontasse la storia e la cultura della musica afroamericana passando in rassegna tutto il suo enorme patrimonio, dal gospel al jazz, dal funk al r&b sino all’hip hop, quest’ultimo considerato a livello di impatto sociale da Jones come il nuovo be bop. L'operazione riesce alla grande. Concepito come in un film e con brani tutti collegati tra di loro, Back On The Block sublima e coinvolge con un respiro corale tutto l’universo delle sensazioni nere. L’episodio portante è Birdland, classico dei Weather Report, dove Jones passa in rassegna i suoi primi vent’anni musicali. All’inizio c’è un parlato di presentazione degli artisti creato dai rappers Kool Moe Dee e Big Daddy Kane che, con le loro voci arrivano velocissimi fino a 130 battute (di solito nel rap il ritmo è tra le 95 e le 100 battute). Su questo tappeto si inseriscono man mano le voci originali di Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Lester Young e del mitico presentatore del Birdland, Pee Wee Marquet. Una versione strepitosa ha permesso all'artista di ritrovare anche vecchi amici come Ella Fitzgerald e James Moody. Lo spirito del jazz viene evidenziato ancora nel vocalese di Wee B. Dooinit, inciso con sole voci che imitano fiati, ritmi, percussioni, scandite dalla estemporanea Human Bean Band composta da all stars come Bobby McFerrin, Ella Fitzgerald, i Take 6, Al Jarreau, Sarah Vaughan e Siedah Garret. Ci sono tanti altri momenti significativi in questo monumentale atto creativo come il pop-soul di Tomorrow affidato all’allora giovanissima scoperta di Jones, Tevin Campbell. Quindi la bellissima The Places You Find Love, già cantata da Barbra Streisand su Till I Loved You qui in una nuova veste che parte con percussioni africane, suoni tribali per sfociare poi in una grande coro gospel. Le atmosfere hip hop vengono evidenziate nella title track con le voci dei rappers Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane e dallo stesso Jones. Un pezzo tagliente che descrive il disagio di vivere nella megalopoli da parte di tanti, troppi disadattati. Altri grandi momenti e  situazioni sonore distanti nel tempo, ma vicine nello spirito, che proseguono con Setembro (Brazilan Wedding Song) di Ivan Lins, autore brasiliano molto amato da Jones ed interpretato qui dai Take 6 e Sarah Vaughan con i cameo di Herbie Hancock, George Benson e George Duke. ro pezzo pregiato è il soul-funk di I’ll Be Good To You, una canzone dei Brothers Johnson riproposta in una versione mozzafiato attraverso il duetto tra Ray Charles e Chaka Khan. L’apoteosi finale è  The Secret Garden che riunisce Barry White, El DeBarge e James Ingram in una mellow ballad sensuale ispirata dalle indagini sulla fantasia erotica femminile riportate nell’omonimo libro di Nancy Friday.  Back On The Block  non è la solita una parata di stelle, ma  uno dei più grandi work in progress di tutti i tempi. E soprattutto suona come celebrazione della musica popolare e della cultura afroamericana nel senso più autentico di fusione, di arte creativa priva di barriere stilistiche.

Mauro Ronconi

Tracks:

1  - Prologue (2 Q’s Rap)
2  - Back On the Block
3  - I Don’t Go for That
4  - I’ll Be Good to You
5  - The Verb to Be
6  - Wee B. Dooinit
7  - The Places You Find Love
8  - Jazz Corner of the Word
9  - Birdland
10 - Setembro
11 - One Man Woman
12 - Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)
13 - Prelude to the Garden
14 - The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)

Credits :

Al B. Sure! - Soloist, Vocals (Background)

Gerald Albright - Sax (Alto), Soloist, Vocals

Nadirah Ali - Vocals (Background)

Maxi Anderson - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Glen Ballard - Arranger, Rhythm Arrangements

Rose Banks - Choir Director, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

George Benson - Guitar, Soloist, Vocals

Big Daddy Kane - Rap, Vocals

Peggi Blu - Vocals (Background)

Michael Boddicker - Drum Programming, Synthesizer Programming

McKinley Brown - Vocals (Background)

Ollie E. Brown - Percussion

Jorge Calandrelli - Synthesizer String Arrangement

Tevin Campbell - Vocals

Ray Charles - Vocals

Alvin Chea - Vocals

Children's Choir - Vocals (Background)

Andraé Crouch - Choir Conductor, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Sandra Crouch - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion

Miles Davis - Soloist, Trumpet, Vocals

El DeBarge - Soloist, Vocals (Background)

Cedric Dent - Vocals

George Duke - Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Soloist

Chad Durio - Vocals (Background)

Nathan East - Bass

Geary Faggett - Vocals

Voncielle Faggett - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Ella Fitzgerald - Guest Artist, Soloist, Vocals

Geary Lanier Foggett - Vocals (Background)

Ken Ford - Vocals (Background)

Jania Foxworth - Vocals (Background)

Siedah Garrett - Choir Director, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Tammie Gibson - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Dizzy Gillespie - Soloist, Trumpet

Jim Gilstrap - Vocals (Background)

J.C. Gomez - African Percussion, Percussion

Jackie Gouche - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Grandmaster Melle Mel - Rap

Gary Grant - Trumpet

Reggie Green - Vocals (Background)

Herbie Hancock - Keyboards, Soloist, Synthesizer Pads

Alex Harris - Vocals (Background)

Howard Hewett - Vocals (Background)

Jerry Hey - Arranger, Assistant Producer, Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements, Synthesizer Arrangements, Trumpet

Jennifer Holliday - Vocals (Background)

Pattie Howard - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Human Bean Band - Performer

Ice-T - Rap

James Ingram - Soloist, Vocals (Background)

Jesse Jackson - Narrator

Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar

Al Jarreau - Guest Artist, Vocals

George Johnson - Guitar, Vocals (Background)

Leslie Morris Johnson - Contractor

Louis Johnson - Bass, Vocals (Background)

Tiffany Johnson - Vocals (Background)

Quincy Jones - Arranger, Choir Conductor, Clapping, Cowbell, Drum Programming, Drums, Drums (Snare), Handclapping, Korg M1, Producer, Programming, Rhythm Arrangements, Shaker, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals

Randy Kerber - Keyboards, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming

Chaka Khan - Guest Artist, Vocals

Mark Kibble - Vocal Arrangement, Vocals

Kool Moe Dee - Rap, Vocals

Michael Landau - Guitar

Rhett Lawrence - Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming

Edie Lehmann - Vocals (Background)

Randy Lukather - Guitar

Steve Lukather - Guitar

Clif Magness - Arranger, Rhythm Arrangements, Vocals (Background)

Harvey Mason, Sr. - Drums

Donovan McCrary - Vocals (Background)

Howard McCrary - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Bobby McFerrin - Bass, Guest Artist, Percussion, Vocals, Yodeling

Claude McKnight - Vocals

Jean Johnson McRath - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Melle Mel - Rap

James Moody - Sax (Alto), Saxophone, Soloist

Perry Morgan - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

David Paich - Keyboards, Synthesizer Pads

Phil Perry - Vocals (Background)

Tyren Perry - Vocals (Background)

Greg Phillinganes - Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements

Steve Porcaro - Synthesizer, Synthesizer Producer

Ian Prince - Arranger, Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background), Vocoder

QDIII - Drum Programming, Programming, Rhythm Arrangements, Vocals

Bill Reichenbach Jr. - Trombone

John "4 Daddman" Robinson - Drums

John "J.R." Robinson - Drums

Derrick Schoefield - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Caiphus Semenya - Arranger, Composer, Conductor, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background)

Sheila E. - Soloist, Timbales

Shane Shoaf - Vocals (Background)

Alfie Silas - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Neil Stubenhaus - Bass

Bill Summers - African Percussion, Hinedewho, Percussion, Rhythm Arrangements

Bruce Swedien - Drums, Drums (Snare), Engineer, Mixing, Special Effects

Take 6 - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Rod Temperton - Arranger, Clapping, Composer, Drum Programming, Handclapping, Producer, Programming, Rhythm Arrangements, Vocal Arrangement

David Thomas - Vocals

Ian Underwood - Clapping, Handclapping, Programming, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming

Luther Vandross - Guest Artist, Vocals (Background)

Sarah Vaughan - Guest Artist, Soloist, Vocals

Mervyn Warren - Spoken Word, Vocals

Dionne Warwick - Guest Artist, Vocals (Background)

Barry White - Guest Artist, Soloist

Larry Williams - Keyboards, Programming, Saxophone, Synthesizer

Syreeta Wright - Vocals (Background)

Charity Young - Vocals (Background)

Michael Young - Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming

Joe Zawinul - Soloist, Vocals