I spent 10 to 15 years trying to teach him how to say, ‘yo mama.’ And he kept saying ‘Yo-Yo Ma.’
Legendary musician and producer Quincy Jones has many fond memories of longtime friend, Leonard Bernstein.
He says he’s always been a “devout fan” of Bernstein’s work; in 1958, Jones says he even spent his last dollar on tickets to see West Side Story, an experience that he likens to seeing Hamilton today.
In this video, Jones describes the profound impact Bernstein had on his life, quoting his beloved teacher, Nadia Boulanger:
And she said all the time, ‘Your music can never be more or less than you are as a human being,’ and boy, LB is that human being.
About this content
This content is part of the #Bernsteinat100 Memory Project. Video courtesy of The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.
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