Grammys honor Quincy Jones

LOS ANGELES — Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier and Will Smith joined forces for an expansive tribute to the late Quincy Jones at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The esteemed musician, composer and producer, who shaped some of the biggest stars and most memorable songs in the second half of the 20th century, died in November after a yearslong battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 91.

Smith took the stage at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night to introduce the performance, which ran more than 20 minutes. “This past year, we lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times,” he said. “Quincy Jones, known to friends around the world simply as Q, a brilliant 28-time Grammy Award-winning producer, arranger, film and television composer, conductor, trumpet player, recording artist and humanitarian.

“In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say he changed mine forever,” continued the star, who was famously cast in the ’90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

“Quincy made so many music greats across multiple genres sound even greater, bringing the best out in legends, from brother Ray Charles to Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie to Aretha Franklin, just to name a few,” Smith added. “We start this tribute where Quincy’s enduring passion for music began — with jazz, which eventually brought Q together with Frank Sinatra for a musical partnership that opened doors and took both men to new heights.”

Erivo kicked off the medley with a rendition of the 1964 hit “Fly Me to the Moon” — first, with just Hancock on the piano, and then with a full band onstage. The song — originally recorded by Johnny Mathis, Nancy Wilson and Peggy Lee — was arranged by Jones for Sinatra, who continued to work with Jones for the next two decades.

With Collier on the piano alongside the band, Wilson then performed a cover of “Let the Good Times Roll,” which was part of Jones’ 1995 album “Q’s Jook Joint” with Wonder, Bono and Charles.

Wonder, harmonica in hand, and Hancock took the stage for “Bluesette,” which was featured on Jones’ 1975 album “Mellow Madness.” They then launched into the star-studded charity single “We Are the World,” the 1985 release — written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick, Tina Turner and Bob Dylan — that was recorded and released to raise money for famine relief in Africa.

“Quincy was always there to help,” said Wonder, recalling the single’s iconic recording session. “That day, Quincy told us to keep our egos out and at the door. And we are still the world. And I say to you, we’re still the children. We are still the people who fight and will die for this nation. So we definitely have to be able to celebrate each and each other’s cultures, all the time.”

Wonder sang the anthem alongside a choir of student singers from the Pasadena Waldorf School in Altadena and Palisades Charter High School, two schools affected by the devastating LA fires.

Smith then shared an anecdote from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” set. “So this is the food that you think the people on your set should eat?” Jones asked him. Smith clarified that, as an actor, he doesn’t provide the production’s snacks, but Jones corrected him: “Let me get this straight: You want these people to work 16 or 18 hours a day so you can realize your dreams, and this is the food you think they should eat? … I don’t care if it’s not in the budget. You pay for it out of your own pocket.

“That became the absolute center of how I wanted to have my career, how I wanted to live my life. He looked right in my face, and he said, ‘It is your job to take care of these people,’ and I’ve done everything I can through my career to try to live up to Quincy’s demand. All of Q’s children, and all of us who just loved him like he was our father, know this Quincy Jones always took care of people, and that’s how he fed the world.”

Monáe closed out the hit parade with a fresh take on Jackson’s 1979 hit “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” complete with Jackson’s signature moonwalk onstage.