Michael Jackson

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

The drummer on 'Billie Jean' — Ndugu ChanclerNdugu Chanclerンドゥグ・チャンクラー — was a jazz musician who had played with Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard while still in college. His name 'Ndugu' (Swahili for 'brother') was given to him by Herbie HancockHerbie Hancockハービー・ハンコック during his time in Hancock's avant-garde Mwandishi band. He also played with Weather Report. Pop history's most recognizable drum groove was the work of a jazz drummer. Chancler also played drums on 'P.Y.T.' and 'Baby Be Mine' on Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's Thriller.

— Ndugu Chancler, Drummer on 'Billie Jean,' Dead at 65 — Rolling Stone

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Baby Be Mine

Michael Jackson · 1982

When Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ offered to produce Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン, Epic Records rejected him — 'Quincy's too jazzy.' That was exactly Jones's intent. In a 2018 interview he said: ''Baby Be Mine' is pure Coltrane — it's got pop lyrics and a beat, but the essence is Coltrane. Getting the young kids to hear bebop is what I'm talking about.' A man who studied under Nadia Boulanger in Paris, played trumpet in Dizzy Gillespie's big band, and arranged for Sinatra-Basie smuggled bebop into the best-selling album of all time.

— Quincy Jones talks Coltrane and Kendrick — Vulture / WhoSampled

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

Jazz organ titan Jimmy Smith was invited by Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ to play Hammond B3 on Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's 'Bad.' Smith recorded a 20-minute organ solo in the studio, which was then edited down to just over one minute and 'electronically altered through 10 other keyboards and synthesizers.' The greatest jazz organist in history, distilled into a pop-funk track.

— Jimmy Smith organ solo on Bad — AllSolos

You're Under Arrest

Miles Davis · 1985

Human Nature

Michael Jackson · 1982

Miles DavisMiles Davisマイルス・デイヴィス covered Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's 'Human Nature' on his 1985 album You're Under Arrest. During the session, his longtime drummer Al Foster refused to play a pop song, walked out of the studio, and never came back — ending their collaboration. Miles defended his choice: 'Why can't Human Nature be a standard?' The original melody began as a tune Toto's Steve PorcaroSteve Porcaroスティーヴ・ポーカロ wrote for his daughter after she came home crying from school.

— Miles Davis Covers Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature' — Open Culture

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Rock with You

Michael Jackson · 1979

Rod TempertonRod Tempertonロッド・テンパートン — who wrote 'Thriller,' 'Rock with You,' and 'Off the Wall' — was a former fish filleter from Cleethorpes, England, and keyboardist of funk band Heatwave. When Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ called him, he hung up thinking it was a prank. 'Thriller' was originally titled 'Starlight,' but Jones said it wasn't strong enough for an album title. Temperton wrote 200–300 alternatives in his hotel room before landing on 'Thriller.' He composed Vincent Price's spoken-word script in a taxi on the way to the studio — Price recorded it in two takes.

— How Heatwave's Rod Temperton ended up writing songs for Michael Jackson — MusicRadar

Off the Wall

Michael Jackson · 1979

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Michael Jackson · 1982

Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da Costaパウリーニョ・ダ・コスタ had worked with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, and Milt Jackson before earning Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ's trust. He played percussion on all three Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン–Jones albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. The distinctive cuíca (Brazilian friction drum) that colors 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' was Da Costa's own idea. DownBeat called him 'one of the most talented percussionists of our time.'

— Paulinho da Costa: Session Musician Feature — uDiscover Music

Off the Wall

Michael Jackson · 1979

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

The brass sound threading through Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's three albums was created by members of Seawind, a jazz-fusion band from Hawaii. Trumpeter Jerry HeyJerry Heyジェリー・ヘイ was discovered by Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ at The Baked Potato, an LA jazz club, and became Jones's 'first call' horn arranger. Hey, Larry Williams (sax), Kim Hutchcroft (sax), Bill Reichenbach (trombone), and Gary Grant (trumpet) played the horn section on Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad — defining MJ's sonic signature.

— Jerry Hey — Hip-Bone Music

The Dude

Quincy Jones · 1981

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ's jazz album The Dude (1981) and Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's Thriller (1982) were recorded just a year apart with nearly the same rhythm section — Greg PhillinganesGreg Phillinganesグレッグ・フィリンゲインズ (keys), JR Robinson (drums), Louis JohnsonLouis Johnsonルイス・ジョンソン (bass), Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da Costaパウリーニョ・ダ・コスタ (percussion), Steve LukatherSteve Lukatherスティーヴ・ルカサー (guitar), Rod TempertonRod Tempertonロッド・テンパートン (songwriter). The Dude was essentially the jazz-side rehearsal for Thriller.

— The Dude — Sessiondays.com

Thriller

Michael Jackson · 1982

Beat It

Michael Jackson · 1982

The rhythm guitar foundation of 'Beat It' was laid by Paul Jackson Jr.Paul Jackson Jr.Paul Jackson Jr. — a fusion guitarist whose regular gigs were jazz albums with George BensonGeorge Bensonジョージ・ベンソン, Al Jarreau, and Marcus MillerMarcus Millerマーカス・ミラー. Eddie Van Halen's solo gets all the attention, but it's Jackson Jr.'s Gibson ES-335 cutting that drives the groove. He also played guitar on 'The Lady in My Life' from Thriller.

— Paul Jackson Jr. on Working with Michael Jackson — Guitar World

Off the Wall

Michael Jackson · 1979

Jazz guitarist Phil UpchurchPhil UpchurchPhil Upchurch had no intention of playing on Off the Wall. He stopped by the studio just to say hello to Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ, who stuck a guitar in his hands and said 'play this one.' Upchurch ended up recording on 'Workin' Day and Night' and other tracks. For a veteran jazz guitarist with nearly 30 solo albums, this became his most widely heard work.

— Phil Upchurch: 'Quincy stuck a guitar in my hands' — Guitar Player

Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson

Joey DeFrancesco · 2010

Hammond B3 organist Joey DeFrancescoJoey DeFrancescoジョーイ・デフランチェスコ recorded Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson (2010) — an entire jazz album of Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン songs. He played 'Thriller,' 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It,' 'Human Nature,' and 'Rock with You' as an organ trio, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Proof that a pop catalog can function as a jazz standards book.

— Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson — Wikipedia

Lester BowieLester Bowieレスター・ボウイ — trumpeter of Chicago's free-jazz collective Art Ensemble of Chicago — formed Brass Fantasy in 1984 and covered Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン songs with an all-brass ensemble of tuba, trombone, and trumpets. They rescored MJ's basslines for tuba and reinterpreted them with half-valve effects, growls, and smears — free-jazz vocabulary applied to pop material. A boundary-dissolving experiment that used pop songs as raw material for avant-garde play.

— Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy — uDiscover Music

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

Jennifer BattenJennifer Battenジェニファー・バトゥン was selected from over 100 candidates for Michael JacksonMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン's Bad World Tour (1987) guitarist spot. Her edge was tapping technique — trained at Musicians Institute in jazz, she'd transcribed Charlie Parker solos, and at the audition played a tapping arrangement of John Coltrane's 'Giant Steps.' Jazz discipline won her the biggest pop stage in history. She went on to play three MJ world tours and the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show (1993).

— Jennifer Batten Interview — Guitar World

Bad

Michael Jackson · 1987

Dirty Diana

Michael Jackson · 1987

Billy Idol's guitarist Steve StevensSteve Stevensスティーヴ・スティーヴンス recorded the guitar solo on 'Dirty Diana' (1988). He expected an entourage at the studio but found only MJMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン, Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ, and an engineer. Quincy told him 'do whatever the fuck you want.' After the session, MJ said 'I really like the high notes' — the exact same compliment he'd given Eddie Van Halen after 'Beat It.' MJ's highest praise for a rock guitarist was always the same line.

— Steve Stevens on Recording Dirty Diana — Ultimate Classic Rock

Off the Wall

Michael Jackson · 1979

She's Out of My Life

Michael Jackson · 1979

Larry CarltonLarry Carltonラリー・カールトン played guitar on 'She's Out of My Life' (1979) — the ballad MJMichael Jacksonマイケル・ジャクソン famously cried on every take. At the time, Carlton was a member of The Crusaders and the go-to soloist on Steely Dan's 'The Royal Scam' and 'Aja' — the epitome of fusion guitar. He was also on Quincy JonesQuincy Jonesクインシー・ジョーンズ's 'The Dude' in the same period, moving fluidly between jazz/fusion and pop. Jazz's 'Mr. 335' added color to one of pop's most emotional ballads.

— Larry Carlton — AllMusic Biography