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Back on the Block
Studio album by Quincy Jones
Released	November 8, 1989 (1989-11-08)
Recorded	1988–1989 Oceanway Record One Lighthouse Studios Westlake Audio (Los Angeles, California) Digital Recorders (Nashville, Tennessee) Tarpan Studios (San Rafael, California)
Genre	R&B hip hop new jack swing jazz
Length	57:54
Label	Qwest Warner Bros.
Producer	Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones chronology
The Dude (1981) Back on the Block (1989) Q's Jook Joint (1995)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]
Ebony	favorable[3]

Back on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones.^[4] The album features legendary musicians and singers from across three generations, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, Chaka Khan, Take 6, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, Ray Charles and a 12-year old Tevin Campbell.

Overview

Multiple singles were lifted from the album and found success on Pop and R&B radio, including "I'll Be Good To You", "I Don't Go For That", "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)", and "Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)" which was originally an instrumental track on The Brothers Johnson's Look Out for #1 set. "Tomorrow" is also noteworthy for introducing a young Tevin Campbell to the music scene. Back on the Block won the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Jones' track, Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) was featured on the soundtrack of the 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood. Back on the Block topped the R&B Albums chart at number-one for twelve weeks, and topped the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart as well.

Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan

Back on the Block featured the last studio recordings of jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Fitzgerald and Jones had previously worked together on her 1963 album with Count Basie, Ella and Basie!. Jones had produced three albums with Sarah Vaughan when they both worked for Mercury Records.

Grammy Awards

At the 33rd Grammy Awards, Back on the Block won seven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

In arranging, Jerry Hey, Quincy Jones, Ian Prince and Rod Temperton won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Birdland", and Glen Ballard, Hey, Jones and Clif Magness won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for "The Places You Find Love".

Jones also won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance for "Birdland", and the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.

Bruce Swedien won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for his work on the album.

Ray Charles and Chaka Khan won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "I'll Be Good To You".

The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group went to Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, Tevin Campbell, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy Jones III and Jones for "Back on the Block".

Track listing

All Tracks Produced by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton.
”Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)” Co-produced by Jerry Hey.

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of Back on the Block.^[18]

• 
  Quincy Jones – lead vocals (track 1), choir conductor (7), handclaps (2, 6, 9), drums (6), drum machine (2), M1 pads (10)


• 
  Gerald Albright – alto saxophone solo (tracks 10, 12)


• 
  George Benson – guitar solo (tracks 8–10)


• 
  Peggi Blu – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Michael Boddicker – drum machine (track 2), M1 pads (10), synth pads (10), synth programming (4, 7, 9)


• 
  Ollie E. Brown – percussion (track 12)


• 
  Jorge Calandrelli – synth strings (track 13)


• 
  Tevin Campbell – lead vocals (tracks 2, 12)


• 
  Ray Charles – lead vocals (track 4)


• 
  Paulinho da Costa – percussion (track 10, sampled on 7)


• 
  Andraé Crouch – vocal arranger, choir conductor, background vocals (tracks 2, 7)


• Sandra Crouch – choir conductor (track 2), background vocals (2, 7)


• 
  Miles Davis – trumpet solo (tracks 8–9)


• 
  El DeBarge – lead and background vocals (track 14)


• 
  George Duke – keyboard solo (track 11), Fender Rhodes solo (10)


• 
  Sheila E. – timbales solo (track 11)


• 
  Nathan East – bass guitar (track 9)


• 
  Ella Fitzgerald – lead vocals (tracks 6, 8–9)


• 
  Siedah Garrett – lead vocals (tracks 3, 6–7, 11), background vocals (tracks 3, 11, 14, sampled on 7, additional on 4), choir director (12)


• 
  Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet solo (tracks 8–9)


• J. C. Gomez – African percussion (track 2)


• Gary Grant – trumpet (track 9)


• 
  Herbie Hancock – keyboard solo (tracks 3, 7, 10), synth pads (10)


• 
  Howard Hewett – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Jerry Hey – trumpet (track 9), additional keyboards (7)


• 
  Jennifer Holliday – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Pattie Howard – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Ice-T – rap (track 2)


• 
  James Ingram – lead vocals (track 14), additional background vocals (4), sampled background vocals (7)


• 
  Jesse Jackson – narrator (track 2)


• 
  Paul Jackson Jr. – sampled guitar (track 7)


• 
  Al Jarreau – vocals (track 6)


• 
  George Johnson – guitar (track 4), sampled background vocals (4)


• 
  Louis Johnson – Moog synth bass (tracks 2, 4), bass guitar (2, 4, sampled on 7), sampled background vocals (4)


• 
  Big Daddy Kane – rap (vocals) (tracks 2, 8)


• 
  Randy Kerber – keyboards (track 12), sampled keyboards (7), sampled synthesizer (7)


• 
  Chaka Khan – lead vocals (tracks 4, 7)


• 
  Michael Landau – sampled guitar (track 7)


• 
  Rhett Lawrence – Fairlight bass and analog guitar synthesizer (track 7)


• 
  Steve Lukather – guitar (tracks 12, 14)


• 
  Clif Magness – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Harvey Mason Sr. – drums (track 4)


• 
  Melle Mel – rap (track 2)


• 
  Kool Moe Dee – rap (tracks 2, 8)


• 
  Bobby McFerrin – vocals, additional percussion (track 6)


• 
  James Moody – alto saxophone solo (tracks 8–9)


• 
  David Paich – keyboards (tracks 4, 10, additional on 7)


• 
  Phil Perry – additional background vocals (track 4)


• 
  Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (tracks 2, 4, 10–11), Fender Rhodes (12, 14)


• 
  Steve Porcaro – synth programming (tracks 2, 4, 7, 10)


• Ian Prince – keyboards (tracks 3–4, 9–11), vocoder (6), background vocals (3)


• 
  Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (track 9)


• 
  John Robinson – drums (tracks 12, 14, sampled on 7)


• 
  Caiphus Semenya – background vocals (track 2)


• 
  Neil Stubenhaus – synth bass (track 12), bass guitar (14)


• 
  Bruce Swedien – recording engineer (All tracks), mixing (All tracks), kick & snare drums (tracks 4, 14)


• 
  Rose Stone – choir director (track 12), background vocals (2, 7)


• 
  Bill Summers – percussion (track 8, African on 2, additional on 7), hindewhu
  


• 
  Al B. Sure! – lead and background vocals (track 14)


• 
  Take 6 – background vocals (tracks 1, 6, 10)


• 
  Rod Temperton – drum machine (tracks 1–2), handclaps (2, 6, 9)


• 
  Ian Underwood – handclaps (tracks 2, 6, 9), synth programming (3–4, 10)


• 
  Luther Vandross – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Sarah Vaughan – lead vocals (tracks 6, 8–10)


• 
  Mervyn Warren – background vocals (tracks 1, 6, 10), voices (5)


• 
  Dionne Warwick – sampled background vocals (track 7)


• 
  Barry White – lead vocals (track 14)


• 
  Larry Williams – saxophone (track 9), keyboards (9, 13–14, sampled on 7), sampled synthesizer (7), synth programming (3–4, 11, 13–14)


• 
  Syreeta Wright – sampled background vocals (track 4)


• Michael C. Young – synth programming (track 9)


• 
  Joe Zawinul – synthesizer solo (tracks 2, 8), sampled synthesizer (9)

Backing vocals

• Alex Harris, Alfie Silas, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, Chad Durio, Charity Young, Claude McKnight, David Thomas, Derrick Schofield, Donovan McCrary, Edie Lehmann, Geary Lanier Foggett, Howard McCrary, Jackie Gouche, Jania Foxworth, Jean Johnson-McRath, Jim Gilstrap, Kenneth Ford, Mark Kibble, Maxi Anderson, McKinley Brown, Nadirah Ali, Perry Morgan, Reginale Green, Shane Shoaf, Tammie Gibson, Tiffany Johnson, Tyren Perry, Voncielle Faggett

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1990 (U.S.)

References