Song of the Day: Robot Portrait [YouTube link], composed and arranged by Billy Byers, appears on “The Quintessence,” a 1962 Quincy Jones big band album. Jones is often remembered as a legendary producer who helmed projects by some of the most important artists of the twentieth century—from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. But when I heard this track on jazz radio WBGO-FM, it reminded me what a wonderful bandleader Q was—and what amazing personnel he often assembled for his projects. This punchy minor blues composition features solos by saxophonist Oliver Nelson and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
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