Celebrations of a creative life

The Book "Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" (412 pages; Doubleday; $26) You don't see many reviews of "celebrity" books in major newspapers, and part of the reason is that critics greet such titles with skepticism. On the market right now, though, might be an exception: Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. Q has the air of authenticity, especially in its early pages. Jones' young life was beyond harsh; it was at times terrifying. His mother descended into madness when he was a boy; his father was a good man who unfortunately had an eye for bad women. Some incidents Jones describes will upset some readers. And he almost revels in using words not allowed in this newspaper. But for readers not readily offended, Q presents itself as a genuine celebrity-penned book without the rampant egomania. Whether Jones had any help with the writing (beyond the chapters he acknowledges were contributed by family and friends, who offer their own perspectives) is debatable, but that can be true of almost any tome. If he created this text himself, his knack for words is revealed as being respectable, if not on par with his musical talent. If he had help, someone has gone to great pains to mimic his voice: proud, gifted, black, smart. - John Mark Eberhart/The Star THE BOXED SET "Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones" (Rhino Records) 3 1/2 stars The four-disc retrospective "Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones," on Rhino, is a panoramic view of an epic career: It starts with his work arranging, producing and conducting tunes for Lionel Hampton and Oscar Pettiford and spans his work on movie soundtracks and his many contributions to pop, soul and R&B. If his name makes you think first of his '80s material, like "We Are the World" and Jackson's monster "Thriller" album, you need some schooling in his best and earliest works, like his arrangement of "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" for Frank Sinatra with Count Basie & His Orchestra. If you know all about his early days, you may still be impressed with later parts of his career, which included hits for the Brothers Johnson and Chaka Khan and his influential work with singer James Ingram. - Timothy Finn/The Star THE TV SPECIAL "Quincy Jones: In the Pocket" (9 tonight, KCPT, Channel 19) Don't say you didn't get fair warning: You have until 9 tonight to hook up your extra cable box to the stereo system in time for the "American Masters" tribute to Quincy Jones on KCPT, Channel 19. Even if you're not an audiophile, you'll get a kick out of the soundtrack to this 90-minute PBS program, much of it either written or arranged by Jones, who at age 68 seems to have piled up enough accomplishments for several careers. "American Masters" has once again flawlessly married its subject's life story (narrated here by a gravelly voiced Harry Belafonte) to images, archival and contemporary, with enough nonlinear touches to keep things interesting. The program details Jones' relationships with Count Basie, who taught him tempo; Nadia Boulanger, the renowned Parisian tutor who schooled him in orchestration; Sidney Lumet, who let him write his first movie soundtrack; and his ex-wives, who seem to have realized too late that even after branching out into TV, pop music and cinema, Quincy Jones remained at heart a jazz musician, always with somewhere else to be besides home. - Aaron Barnhart/The Kansas City Star