Quincy Jones, “Titan” of American music, as he was the legendary producer of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and partner of legends such as Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, had a special relationship with Greece, reports elenasdiary_blog. He had produced Manos Hadjidaki’s iconic album “Giokoda’s Smile” recorded in New York in 1965, while earlier he had collaborated with Nana Mouschouri on the classic album “The Girl from Greece Sings” recorded for Mercury Records in New York in 1962.

“When I asked Quincy when I’m going to sing, he said: ‘Take it easy, baby, you are in the Big Apple, have fun and learn'” learn). And he was right, it was a great school to listen live to this music that influenced me so much in my first steps. The days I spent in the studio were unimaginably creative. He didn’t understand how time passed, I sang for 12 hours and after we ate a hamburger I went to sleep to rest my voice. Quincy corrected my pronunciation very carefully. Only when you sing the language correctly, the real emotion comes out, he told me. I sang tirelessly, as tirelessly as Quincy directed, until we finished one morning at five”, says Nana Mouschouri.

“Later, walking down the deserted Broadway, the two of us with burgers in hand, he told me: If there is any doubt, I will come to fix it in Paris. After about a month he came to Paris for an audition. We entered the studio for some minor changes. He was excited to the point that it affected the whole world. Rarely did you see a producer show so much joy from satisfaction” Nana had said about her beloved partner and friend for decades, who fondly called her “Nanaki”.

The great Quincy Jones died on Monday, aged 91.

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