Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie Review

Legendary composer, producer, arranger, and social activist Quincy Jones has been an inspiration for a number of different artists. During the years, he has worked with some of the greatest R&B, jazz, pop, blues, and gospel stars such as Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Duke Ellington, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, and Miles Davis. In 1968, together with songwriter Bob Rissel, Jones became the first African-American to be nominated for an Oscar (Best Original Song for Banning). In 2008, Jones was also named an Ambassador at the Grammys, and served as Artistic Advisor for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

On July 14th, 2008, a very special event took place at the Stravinsky Auditorium in Montreux, Switzerland. A number of musicians who have had the opportunity to work with Jones during the years gathered to celebrate his 75th birthday. For well over two hours, they sang, played, joked and thanked a living legend.

The actual concert is truly impossible to describe with simple words. Even a quick glance at the names of the musicians who took the stage should immediately reveal to you how incredibly influential Jones has been. In fact, one could argue that many of them have been just as influential as Jones – years from now, people will still talk about Chaka Khan, Herbie Hanckok, Al Jarreau, James Moody, and Toots Thielemans.

While I do not wish to single out any of the performances from Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration as they are all absolutely terrific, there are two sets that I just have to mention to you. The first one is by the award-winning septet from New York City, Naturally 7. Their acapella versions of Billie Jean and Wall Of Sound are simply phenomenal. The second set is by Belgian jazz icon Toots Thielemans, who many years ago I was fortunate enough to see playing his harmonica live – at the age of 86, he is still as good as I remember him!

I like

Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Recorded Live on July 14th, 2008 at the Stravinsky Auditorium, Montreux Music & Convention Centre, in Switzerland, Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration looks solid. Contrast is very good, clarity consistently pleasing and detail excellent. The actual show has been recorded with multiple, strategically positioned, cameras allowing the viewer not only to follow the musicians and singers on the stage, but also to follow the reactions of the audience and Mr. Jones himself. This being said, motion-judder is not a serious issue of concern with this transfer. On the contrary, Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration looks smooth and stable. Digital noise is not an issue of concern either. Additionally, there are no disturbing shadow effects. Also, there are no image deteriorations to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a very strong presentation that will undoubtedly impress even the most demanding amongst you. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. I opted for the Music DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does not disappoint. All of its basics are solid – the bass is potent, the rear channels intelligently utilized and the high frequencies not overdone. The brass, piano, guitars and singers are well defined – there is no sound overlapping where one group dramatically overpowers another. The dynamic levels are also pleasing. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track conveys plenty of depth, which neither the Dolby Digital 5.1 nor the LPCM 2.0 tracks could match. For the record, I did not detect any pops, cracks, or hissing to report in this review.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track lacks the dynamic fluidity of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Especially when the brass section is prominent, it is very easy to hear that the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is notably inferior. Generally speaking, the bass is comparable on both tracks. I also find the piano/pianissimos on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to be far more effective (listen to the harmonica solos).

The LPCM 2.0 track is solid. I did not detect any sizeable improvements in terms of balance. Dynamically, as expected, the LPCM 2.0 track is not a match for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This is not to say, however, that the LPCM 2.0 is in any way disappointing. On the contrary, I found it to be surprisingly strong. Optional subtitles have not been provided for the main feature.

Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Thank Q - a standard featurette showing a number of the musicians who contributed to Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration expressing their gratitude. (27 min, 1080i/60).

Booklet - a lavish 48-page booklet with photos and words of gratitude from many of the musicians who took place in the birthday celebration.

Quincy Jones: 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday Celebration is a terrific Blu-ray release. I hope that many of you will consider adding it up to your collections. Eagle Rock Entertainment deserve major props for putting together this lovely disc! Very Highly Recommended.