Quincy Jones’s QWEST TV has debuted One Night Stand, a new docu-series that pairs two very different artists together for each episode. The collaborations are designed to bring about cultural exchange and each one is spontaneous, without the artists knowing who they will work with and no live audience. The first episode aired on November 17th and it featured 92-year-old composer David Aram, who played with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1950s and singer-songwriter Cheyenne Mize. The second episode features musician Seun Kuti who is the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and 18-year-old drum prodigy Kojo Roney. Meshell Ndegeocello is scheduled to appear on an episode in 2023. One episode per month will air on QWEST TV.  For more information about QWEST TV check out the official site. 

Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV will kick off December 15th. The subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) service is described as the “Netflix of Jazz.” Jones worked with television producer Reza Ackbaraly to create the service that completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in the Fall that raised $170,000.

Qwest TV has exclusive jazz content and archives of over 100 concerts, interviews, documentaries and related content that will be available on computers, tablets and mobile devices. Subscriptions start at $7.49 per month and customers can choose Standard or Premium service with both options being ad-free.

Gregory Porter, Aretha Franklin, Robert Glasper, Sun Ra, Macy Gray, Elvin Jones and Al Jarreau are some of the artists that will be featured upon the service’s initial launch.  The complete catalog can be viewed at www.qwest.tv/catalog. Subscriptions for Qwest TV can be purchased at www.qwest.tv .

Quincy Jones and TV producer Reza Ackbaraly are launching Qwest TV, the first and only video-on-demand service dedicated to jazz and jazz-inspired forms. The service will debut in the fall and subscriptions start at $7.49  per month. The pre-launch of the service is in September via Kickstarter and the first 1500 subscribers will have the privilege of helping to shape the product before its official start. According to Jones,

“The dream of QWEST TV is to let jazz and music lovers everywhere experience these incredibly rich and diverse musical traditions in a whole new way.  At my core, I am a bebopper, and over the course of my 70-year career in music I have witnessed firsthand the power of jazz – and all of its off-spring from the blues and R&B to pop, rock and hip-hop, to tear down walls and bring the world together.  I believe that a hundred years from now, when people look back at the 20th century, they will view Bird, Miles and Dizzy, as our Mozarts, Bachs, Chopinss and Tchaikovskys, and it is my hope that QWEST TV will serve to carry forth and build on the great legacy that is jazz for many generations to come.”

Pre-launch subscribers will get Qwest TV Premium for a year, VIP access to the Qwest team to offer feedback, concert tickets, and special merchandise.