Both informative and entertaining, this is an extremely intimate portrait of the man who knew no boundaries. It showed his European tours, both as a 19-year-old jazz musician AND later as a band leader who went broke (midtour!) and had to sell everything to get home. I was amazed at his countless works with legendary artists and composers. As the title states, it's hard to imagine all those experiences fitting into JUST ONE lifetime.
I was unaware of how much of a pioneer he was for many African Americans. Not only do the "old jazz tour" pictures and interviews with Dizzy, Miles, et al show this, but also his accomplishments -- 1st black VP of A&R for a major record label, produced "It's My Party (and I Cry if I Want To)", furthered the civil rights movement through music, 1st black to write movie scores -- are discussed as well.
It is all told in a very entertaining way -- narration, studio recording footage, and chats with Q, his siblings, his kids, and the myriad of artists he has impacted (Streisand, Sinatra, Spielberg, Ice-T, Flavor Flav, Oprah, you get the idea). Who else has worked with such a wide range of people? What I especially liked was the way many different interviews were spliced together in a point-counterpoint style, so that you could hear all of their views about the same subject.
I came away with a new respect for him, especially considering all of the financial, social, and even medical hardships he has had to overcome. However, anyone who does not already have a profound interest in music or someone who never faced hard challenges in life may not be able to relate to this story very well.
I would rate it 8 out of 10 - no question.
I was unaware of how much of a pioneer he was for many African Americans. Not only do the "old jazz tour" pictures and interviews with Dizzy, Miles, et al show this, but also his accomplishments -- 1st black VP of A&R for a major record label, produced "It's My Party (and I Cry if I Want To)", furthered the civil rights movement through music, 1st black to write movie scores -- are discussed as well.
It is all told in a very entertaining way -- narration, studio recording footage, and chats with Q, his siblings, his kids, and the myriad of artists he has impacted (Streisand, Sinatra, Spielberg, Ice-T, Flavor Flav, Oprah, you get the idea). Who else has worked with such a wide range of people? What I especially liked was the way many different interviews were spliced together in a point-counterpoint style, so that you could hear all of their views about the same subject.
I came away with a new respect for him, especially considering all of the financial, social, and even medical hardships he has had to overcome. However, anyone who does not already have a profound interest in music or someone who never faced hard challenges in life may not be able to relate to this story very well.
I would rate it 8 out of 10 - no question.