Tracklisting: 1. Love Reborn 3. Spock Does The Bump At The Disco 5. Vulcun Mind Probe 7. The Dream That Ended Source: Vinyl LP Format: V0 VBR MP3 (View Comments To Listen) George Duke, if you’ve read earlier entries, is one of my favorite artists of all-time. In my mind, he is one third of a “Holy Trinity” of keyboardists that also includes Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock.
Now in the jazz world, there are a wealth of brilliant (and possibly more notable) pianists, and some very talented keyboardists in the world (Jan Hammer, for example) — so why these three? Well, beyond the familiarity I have with their catalogs, it really boils down to the unique voice the three carry in both their acoustic and electric worlds. Chick is said to be rather quirky, sometimes “weird”, but he does not change this when he moves from a grand acoustic piano to an ARP Odyssey (for example). Herbie Hancock is said to make powerful pieces that make you think about what you’re hearing, but this does not change much when he moves from acoustic piano to Rhodes piano. Certainly you even hear his phrasing and unique chord changes when he is on one of what has to have been a staggering array of synthesizers he’s amassed over the years. This is also true of George Duke, though, his synthesizer work I would have to say is definitive (so far as that the makers of Korg synthesizers actually named a patch after him: “The Dukey Lead”). However, compared to the other two, George Duke’s work is largely unsung.
It is only through the collective clamor of music lovers that his much-coveted discography on the MPS label (where he landed after working with Frank Zappa and others) found re-release on CD in the last few years. There is also a tendency for critics to deride artists that diverge from the “challenging” sounds of acoustic jazz for venturing into “lesser” forms of art — namely what is often called “fusion” (but is still jazz, just played with different instruments), and in George’s case, R&B and funk music. There, too, is where he diverges from the others in the Trinity, and dare I say, shines above them.
Try as he might, Herbie made modest inroads as an R&B artist — largely because critics came down with the hammer, and partly, I wonder if it wasn’t because he was ahead of his time. That will be an entry for another time, I suppose.
Of his MPS catalog, there is one album that has eluded the ears of many of George Duke’s fans: The Dream, an album recorded in 1976, but released in 1978, a year after George left the fledgling label to try his hand at Epic Records, where he more successfully bridged the jazz and R&B worlds together, and also made his name as a producer of other artists. This album however, did actually see release eventually — in 1982 under the title The 1976 Solo Keyboard Album, which goes without saying is one of my favorite albums period, if only for its lead track, “Mr. So why is the MPS release relevant? Well, if you’re familiar with the Solo Keyboard Album, you’ll note some aural differences between this and the one released on Epic years later — in “Mr.
McFreeze”, George uses a different lead (and phrase) as the top melody in several breakdowns, there’s an entire minute or so of music that was chopped off “Spock Does The Bump At The Space Disco” (on its Epic release, the title of this song was even chopped). “Tzina” includes some wind chimes that are not present in the Epic version.
Most strikingly, the song “Pathways” is completely acoustic in this version. For those who aren’t familiar with either, but may know the name George Duke primarily from the “R&B” side of his career, hearing a song like “Mr. Mcfreeze” may be a total “WTF” upon first listen. Most impressive about this album in general, is that all the instruments you hear, are performed by George Duke. Sure, it is mostly synthesizer — though I never knew George Duke to ever play the drums (other than with his mouth — as you’ll find if you scrounge YouTube enough) or the bass guitar. That he did so and managed to make all the pieces fit, not to mention sound as competent as anyone else, behind his own (at times aggressive) keyboard play, just raised the profile of George Duke to someone who already held him in high regard.
“Love Reborn” is a piece that George Duke revisits so many times throughout his career, I lost count. My favorite is his version included on Brazilian Love Affair, his 1980 opus, but here, it is a rather tranquil acoustic piece with some fast-fingered phrases throughout. The aforementioned “Spock Does The Bump At The Space Disco” is a fun and funky piece, that may sound a little disjointed at times. “Tzina” has a more regal and epic sound than the preview given a few albums back ( Feel, his much esteemed 1974 release), “Vulcun Mind Probe” (as spelled by the people at MPS — Epic corrected this to make the obvious Star Trek references a little clearer) is what you’d expect from the title, and the closer “The Dream That Ended” is an appropriate ending note to this album, which might as well be titled Introduction To George Duke: Keyboardist Extraordinaire. I must give all the credit to the excellent blog for bringing this release to my attention; there you can find the lossless (WAV) version of this album if you so desire.
George Duke singing on stage in 2010. Background information Born ( 1946-01-12)January 12, 1946, U.S. Died August 5, 2013 ( 2013-08-05) (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Genres, Occupation(s) Musician, composer, musical director, producer, educator Instruments Vocals, piano, synthesizer, saxophone, flute, bass guitar, trombone Years active 1967–2013 Labels, /, /, /, Associated acts, Website George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both and popular mainstream musical genres. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album. He was known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums, of which 'A Brazilian Love Affair' from 1980 was his most popular, as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly.
Contents. Biography Early life George Duke was born in and raised in. It was at the young age of 4 that Duke first became interested in the piano.
His mother took him to see in concert and subsequently told him about this experience. 'I don't remember it too well,' says George, 'but my mother told me I went crazy. I ran around saying 'Get me a piano, get me a piano!' ' He began his formal piano studies at the age of 7, at his local Baptist church. It was those early years that influenced his musical approach and feel, as well as his understanding of how music elicits emotion. Duke attended in before earning a bachelor's degree in trombone and with a minor in, from the in 1967.
Playing initially with friends from garages to local clubs, Duke quickly eased his way into session work, which refined his abilities and expanded his approach to music. He later earned his master's degree in composition from. Although he started out playing classical music he credited his cousin for convincing him to switch to jazz. Duke explained that he 'wanted to be free' and Burrell 'more or less made the decision for me' by convincing him to 'improvise and do what you want to do'.
Later he taught a course on Jazz And American Culture at in Oakland. Career Beginning in 1967 Duke experimented further with, playing and recording with violinist, as well as performing with the, and 's band, while he acquainted himself with. Duke appeared on a number of Zappa's albums through the 1970s. Zappa played guitar solos on Duke's 1974 album, Feel - the instrumental 'Old Slippers', and 'Love' - credited as Obdewl'l X, possibly due to contractual reasons.
Duke covered two Zappa-composed songs on his 1975 album, The Aura Will Prevail, - 'Uncle Remus' (co-written with Duke) and 'Echidna's Arf' - that he had played on while a member of The Mothers on Zappa's albums. A further Zappa connection occurred on Duke's other album from 1975, I Love the Blues She Heard Me Cry - which utilized, Tom Fowler, and Bruce Fowler from Zappa's band that Duke was a part of, along with Zappa-associate and jazz guitarist. Duke served as a record producer and composer on two instrumental tracks on albums: 'Backyard Ritual' (from, 1986) and 'Cobra' (from, 1989).
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He worked with a number of Brazilian musicians, including singer, percussionist and singer. And appeared on Duke's late-1970s solo albums Don't Let Go and Master of the Game. Duke occasionally recorded under the name Dawilli Gonga, possibly for contractual reasons, when appearing on other artists albums, such as Lee Ritenour's Captain Fingers album (1977), Billy Cobham, David Sanborn and others. Duke was prominent in the genre, releasing funk-based songs like 'Reach for It' and 'Dukey Stick'. In 1979 he traveled to, where he recorded the album A Brazilian Love Affair, on which he employed singers and and percussionist. The album contained music in a wide assortment of genres, including some Latin jazz and jazz-influenced material. From a jazz standpoint, the album's most noteworthy songs include Nascimento's 'Cravo e Canela', 'Love Reborn', and 'Up from the Sea It Arose and Ate Rio in One Swift Bite'.
The track 'Brazilian Sugar' was featured on the 2006 video game. Meanwhile, Nascimento's vocal on the ballad 'Ao Que Vai Nascer' is an example of Brazilian pop at its most sensuous. The 1992 film featured gospel songs and choir produced by George Duke and choir master. George Duke performing on keyboard in 2010.
George Duke Dream On
Duke worked as musical director at numerous large-scale musical events, including the tribute concert at, London in 1988. In 1989, he temporarily replaced as musical director of 's late-night music performance program during its first season. Duke was also a judge for the second annual to support independent artists' careers. Duke worked with on her third studio album,; guesting on the track, '. In the summer of 2011, he put together a trio with and Marcus Miller for a tour across the US of more than 20 sold out shows. Legacy and influence Duke died August 5, 2013 in Los Angeles from. He was 67 and was survived by his sons, Rashid and John.
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He was laid to rest at, following a memorial service. Attendees included notable friends, his niece, and. Duke's songs have been used by a wide variety of contemporary musicians in a wide array of genres. These include: 'I Love You More', sampled by -act for their hit '; 'Guilty', sampled by artist in his song 'Guilty of Love' on.
Jan 29, 2012 Album: Yawman Ma Lyrics; Fadi Al Ra'ii Music: Ziad Boutros Arrangement: Michel Fadel. Youman madeo & fasano. Check out Yawman ma by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Harout Fazlian Julia Boutros on Amazon Music. Stream ad-free.
'For Love', sampled by underground artist on his track 'I Hear Voices'; 'Someday', sampled by hip hop artist/producer for in ' Break My Heart' on his ' album; 'You and Me', sampled and used by / influenced hip hop-producer on the track 'Spirit Of '94' on the album Spirit Of '94: Version 9.0 which he made with; and 'Reach for It', sampled by in ' on his album and in 'In My Neighborhood' on his self-titled debut album, and sampled by W.C. & The Maad Circle (featuring Mack 10 & Ice Cube) in 'West Up' on their 'Curb Servin' album. Utilized Duke's 'My Soul' on the track 'Mingus' from his ' #8: Advanced Jazz' album. In 2010, Native Instruments released George Duke Soul Treasures, a playable sample library featuring historical recordings of Duke. Duke was nominated for a as for After Hours in 1999. By popular vote, Duke was inducted into The SoulMusic Hall Of Fame at SoulMusic.com in December 2012. On August 5, 2014, exactly one year after Duke’s death, Duke’s long-time friend, released an album titled, “My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke”, as a tribute to his music.
The album featured 10 songs, all written by Duke. Jarreau enlisted, Duke's niece, and many others to help create this tribute to Duke’s music. The album was released on Concord Records and it garnered the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. Discography. ^ Artist Biography by Thom Jurek (1946-01-12).
Retrieved 2013-08-06. George Duke Online. Retrieved January 30, 2016. Coryell, Julie, and Laura Friedman. Jazz-rock Fusion: the people, the music. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000. P192.
^ Watson, Ben, Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play, St Martin's Press, New York, 1993, p. I Love the Blues She Heard Me Cry, MPS Records-BAP 5071/BASF 5071/MPS Records MC 25671, 1975, sleeve notes. 'Sunday Night' episodes No.104 (1988), No.113 (1989), No.114 (1989), No.121 (1989). Independent Music Awards. Archived from on July 13, 2011. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
Retrieved 2013-08-06. Retrieved 6 August 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04. Mitchell, Gail (August 5, 2014).
Retrieved January 30, 2016. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to. on. at.
George Duke challenges the monster catchy, poppy, dancable funk of Earth, Wind & Fire here and aside from two redundant covers of 'Reach for It' and 'Someday' (neither of which are bad either), tunes like the Chic-sh tital track, the synthesizer-heavy 'Framed', the dancable 'Ride on Love', 'Shine On' and a superior rare groove instrumental 'Positive Energy' capture Duke at his best and most memorable. 'Let Your Love Shine' is a great example of Duke's ballad styling's-far superior to his other slower numbers in terms of sheer songcraft. Tracks: Shine On, You, Dream On, I Will Always Be Your Friend Framed, Ride on Love, Son of Reach for It (the Funky Dream), Someday, Positive Energy, Let Your Love Shine, Shine on - 7' Version.
Limited edition of 2000. Product Description.
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