Today, the legendary producer Quincy Jones celebrates his 90th birthday (!). Quincy represents my childhood and youth—pure funky pop, sweet eighties! To mark the occasion, I decided to finally open the Show Business bottle by Josh Mn from Jews and Booze! This is a rye from Koval Distillery, 55%. Why did I choose this bottle? Well…
Quincy is the epitome of show business! Think about when he started—it was a very challenging time for African Americans. He was one of the pioneering African American musicians who rose to management (!) in the music business, akin to Jay-Z and Puff Daddy (and another producer I won’t mention who is considered a top producer today). At a time when African Americans were front-facing as musicians, less so in production and the financial side, Quincy was a key figure in the evolution that defined American show business. He worked with incredible artists like Barry White, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson (yes, he’s behind many of the songs you know, including “Billie Jean”), Donna Summer, and many more. He truly defined the elite of Afro-American pop in the eighties.
Quincy was born in Chicago! And this fabulous bottle is a tribute to Chicago (aside from Sammy Davis Jr. who grew up in Harlem, New York). The distillery itself—Koval! The home distillery of Elad Jt.
The bottle, being from an independent bottler who selects a cask, is a kind of spin on the original spirit. Similarly, my favorite song by Quincy—”I’ll Be Good to You,” with the legendary Ray Charles, whom my father really loved, and the queen Chaka Khan—is actually a remake of a song by The Brothers Johnson from the year of my birth 🙂. They took the original spirit and gave it a personal interpretation.
The rye! On the nose, it’s sweet and warm, like Quincy, gentle and romantic. On the palate, it maintains its sweetness, is relatively rich, and gives a kick 🙂 of spiciness. Just like Quincy, sweet and romantic, but knows how to bring the funk! And this rye has guests 🙂 in the mash bill, just like Quincy features others in his songs. I don’t know who they are, maybe Elad knows 🙂 hmmm…
Quincy’s music is innocent and original, even if there’s some sexiness to it, he is very elegant. Koval is the same—they are original but soft and elegant.
Cheers!