Quincy Jones’ ‘celestial’ night in Las Vegas: ‘It was unbelievable’
In 2012, the Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala honored Muhammad Ali on the boxing legend’s 70th birthday. To put it succicntly, The Greatest would be a hard act to follow.
Larry Ruvo, the event’s co-founder, scanned MGM Grand Garden and wondered who KMA would spotlight the next year.
His gaze stopped at an entertainment giant.
“I saw Quincy Jones, who’s been a friend of mine for decades and decades, and I went over and said, ‘Hey, Q, I want to show you something tomorrow,” Ruvo said in a phone chat Monday morning. “He says, ‘Yeah, you want to have lunch?’ I said, ‘Yes, but I really want to show you something.”
Ruvo hosted Jones, who died Sunday at age 91, at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in downtown Las Vegas. Money raised at the Power of Love support the work at the Ruvo Center, which combats memory loss, dementia and several other cognitive disorders.
Ruvo led Jones to the back entrance, to the Keep Memory Alive Events Center. Jones was met with Frank Sinatra’s “L.A. Is My Lady” cranking on the sound system.
Jones had produced the 1984 album, which would be Sinatra’s last.
“He heard this and he says to me, ‘Am I in a recording studio?’ ” Ruvo said. “Because the sound is so good in that room, I had it just blaring.”
Jones’ album was the soundtrack to his first tour of the clinic. During the walk-through, Ruvo asked Jones if he would agree to be honored at the next Power of Love event. Jones would be 80 the following March.
“We have a problem,” Jones answered. “Michael Caine is my celestial twin, and his birthday is on the same day as mine. We share our birthdays together.”
Ruvo then called Caine and wished him an early birthday. “It’s not until March!” Caine replied. Ruvo said, “I’m with Q, we want to celebrate with him in Las Vegas, but he won’t celebrate without you.”
Caine agreed, “We’ve got to do this.”
“The rest is history,” Ruvo said.
With Jones and Caine as co-stars, the 2013 event was an especially celeb-powered event. Stevie Wonder sang “Happy Birthday to You.” Bono referred to “Sinatra at the Sands,” the 1966 live album on which Jones was music director. “It’s the greatest album ever made, with apologies to Peter Frampton, who is probably here. Everyone is.”
The “Frampton Comes Alive” legend was not there. But Jennifer Hudson, Carlos Santana, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Will.i.Am of Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, Jordin Sparks, Jason Derulo, Siedah Garrett, Paulinho Da Costa, Marcus Miller, Vinnie Colaiuta and Tom Scott all performed.
Greg Phillinganes was the music director. Amy Poehler and Arsenio Hall made the funny. Whoopi Goldberg introduced Jones with, “Has anybody been cooler any longer than Quincy Jones?”
“It was such an outpouring,” Ruvo said. “The night was unbelievable.”
Ruvo and his wife, Camille Ruvo, met Jones when the couple were on their honeymoon on Italy’s Amalfi Coast some 34 years ago. They were staying at the San Pietro di Positano when they recognized Jones.
“I said, ‘Quincy, I’m from Las Vegas, I’m on my honeymoon, but I just want to say hello and tell you what a fan I am,” Ruvo said.
Jones invited the couple to sit with him. They visited. They agreed to meet at Jones’ home in L.A., and always reconnected when Jones was in Las Vegas.
Jones’ visit to Cleveland Clinic was just a year after it opened. He had multiple surgeries to treat aneurysms late in his life. As Ruvo said, his support of the brain center was from the heart.
“The music industry lost a legend, but the Power of Love and Keep Memory Alive lost a phenomenal friend, a remarkable donor and just a genuine human being,” Ruvo said, “I am already feeling the void.”
Tease this …
A cameo tribute to one of the presidential candidates is being planned for a major headlining show on election night. We’ll give early props to this column fave.
New Music Alert
The Lorena Peril-Thiago Gusi single “Ay Ay Amor” played at Saturday’s Golden Knights-Utah Hockey Club game at T-Mobile Arena. It’s also featured in the updated version of “Fantasy” at Luxor. A wonderful tune, which inspires the grooving.
Cool Hang Alert
Maren Wade has been hanging at the new Starbucks at Smith Center over the past several days. You can’t miss her. She’s dressed in a pink-featured showgirl outfit, like she’s in Dita Von Teese’s cast at Voltaire at The Venetian. But Wade is handing out flyers to “Confessions of a Showgirl” at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Myron’s.
This is a based-on-reality, autobiographical comedy-music production. I can vouch for its authenticity, because I had a hand in creating the very concept — not as a show, but as a recurring column written by Wade. Now it’s a whole thing. Go to confessionsofashowgirl.com for intel, and catch us at the club.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.