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George Duke

Duke at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1986
Background information
Born (1946-01-12) 12 January 1946 (age 66)
San Rafael, California, United States
Genres Jazz fusion, R&B, funk,[1] alternative rock, rock and roll, jazz pop,[1] post-disco,[1] crossover jazz[1]
Occupations Musician
Composer
Musical director
Producer
Educator
Instruments Vocals, piano, synthesizer, Keytar, keyboards, contrabass, trombone
Years active 1967– present
Labels Pacific Jazz, Pickwick, MPS/SABA, MPS/BASF, Atlantic, Epic/CBS, Elektra, Warner Bros., Bizarre, Telarc Jazz, Heads Up
Associated acts Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderley
Website George Duke official site.com
Notable instruments
Moog synthesizer
Clarke and Duke in concert

George Duke (born 12 January 1946 in San Rafael, California)[2] is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.

Contents

Career [link]

Early years [link]

Duke attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley before earning a bachelor's degree in trombone and composition with a minor in contrabass, from the San Francisco Conservatory in 1967.[2] 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 Masters Degree in composition from San Francisco State University. His website mentions a short stint teaching a course on Jazz And American Culture at Merritt Junior College in Oakland).[2] Beginning in 1967 Duke experimented further with jazz fusion, playing and recording with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as performing with the Don Ellis Orchestra, and Cannonball Adderley's band, while he acquainted himself with the avantgarde musician Frank Zappa.[3] Duke appeared on a number of Frank Zappa's albums in the early and mid-1970s, including Chunga's Revenge, 200 Motels, Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo, Apostrophe, Over-Nite Sensation, One Size Fits All, Bongo Fury and Roxy & Elsewhere.

Duke's other high-profile collaborators include Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham,[citation needed] Cannonball Adderley, his cousin Dianne Reeves, Deniece Williams, Jeffrey Osborne, George Clinton, Anita Baker, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell, Marilyn Scott and Mike Mainieri's jazz fusion group Steps Ahead, for whom he produced the track "Magnetic Love." Duke played on Herb Ellis' album, Soft Shoe (Concord, 1974) with Harry Sweets Edison; Duke played the piano and organ.

He also served as a record producer and composer on two instrumental tracks on Miles Davis albums: "Backyard Ritual" (from Tutu, 1986) and "Cobra" (from Amandla, 1989). He has also worked with a number of notable Brazilian musicians, including singer Milton Nascimento, percussionist Airto Moreira and singer Flora Purim. Sheila E appeared on Duke's late-1970s solo albums Don't Let Go and Master of the Game.

Duke had been fairly visible in the R&B world releasing funk-based songs like "Reach for It" and "Dukey Stick". In 1979 he traveled to Rio de Janeiro, where he recorded A Brazilian Love Affair. He employed singers Flora Purim and Milton Nascimento and percussionist Airto Moreira. The album featured 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." In addition was "Brazilian Sugar" which was featured on the 2006 video game Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Meanwhile, Nascimento's vocal on the ballad "Ao Que Vai Nascer" is an example of Brazilian pop at its most sensuous. This acclaimed album contained a wide variety of genres.

Duke has also worked as musical director at numerous large-scale musical events, including the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, London in 1988. In 1989, he temporarily replaced Marcus Miller as musical director of NBC's acclaimed late-night music performance program Sunday Night during its first season.[4] Duke was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. [5]

"No Rhyme or No Reason" can be heard during the period of time designated as Quiet Storm.

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 house music-act Daft Punk for their hit "Digital Love"; "Guilty", sampled by electronica music artist Mylo in his song "Guilty of Love" on Destroy Rock & Roll.

"For Love", sampled by underground hip hop artist MF Doom on his track "I Hear Voices";

"Someday", sampled by hip hop artist/producer Kanye West for Common in "Break My Heart" on his "Finding Forever" album; "You and Me", sampled and used by soul/rhythm and blues influenced hip hop-producer 9th Wonder for his collaboration album with Kaze for the track "Spirit Of '94" on the album Spirit Of '94: Version 9.0; and "Reach for It", sampled by Ice Cube in "True to the Game" on his Death Certificate album and Spice 1 in "In My Neighborhood" on his self-titled debut album.

Recently, Duke worked with Jill Scott on her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3; guesting on the track, "Whenever You're Around". Since it was released it has peaked at No.56 on U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

In the Summer of 2011, he put together a trio with David Sanborn and Marcus Miller for a tour across the USA of more than 20 sold out shows.

Discography [link]

As Leader [link]

Title Year Label
George Duke Quartet Presented by the Jazz Workshop 1 1966 MPS,SABA
The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio 1969 Pacific Jazz
Save the Country 2 1970 Pickwick
Solus 3 1971 MPS,SABA
The Inner Source (2-LP) 1971 MPS/BASF
Faces in Reflection 1974 MPS/BASF
Feel 1974 MPS/BASF
The Aura Will Prevail 1974 MPS/BASF
I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry 1975 MPS/BASF
Liberated Fantasies 1976 MPS/BASF
The Billy Cobham – George Duke Band 'Live' on Tour in Europe 1976 Atlantic
The Dream 4 1976 MPS/BASF
From Me to You 1977 Epic/CBS
Reach for It 1977 Epic/CBS
Don't Let Go 1978 Epic/CBS
Follow the Rainbow 1979 Epic/CBS
Master of the Game 1979 Epic/CBS
Brazilian Love Affair 1980 Epic/CBS
Clarke/Duke Project 1981 Epic/CBS
Dream On 1982 Epic/CBS
Clarke/Duke Project 2 1983 Epic/CBS
Guardian of the Light 1983 Epic/CBS
Rendezvous 1984 Epic/CBS
Thief in the Night 1985 Elektra
George Duke 1986 Elektra
Night After Night 1989 Elektra
Clarke/Duke Project 3 1990 Epic/CBS
Snapshot 1992 Warner Bros.
Muir Woods Suite 1993 Warner Bros.
Illusions 1995 Warner Bros.
Is Love Enough 1997 Warner Bros.
After Hours 1998 Warner Bros.
Cool 2000 Warner Bros.
Face the Music 2002 Bizarre Planet
Duke 2005 Bizarre Planet
In a Mellow Tone 2006 Bizarre Planet
Dukey Treats 2008 Heads Up
Déjà Vu 2010 Telarc Jazz

1 Rereleased as "The Primal" by MPS in 1978.
2 Rereleased as "Pacific Jazz" by United Artists in 1978 albeit with a different tracklisting.
3 Solus was recorded in April 1971 and intended to be released as a single album by SABA but when SABA folded and became MPS the powers that be decided to postpone its release. They finally put it out as a double album in 1976 together with George's MPS debut "The Inner Source". The latter was recorded in October 1971.
4 Recorded in 1976 and released in 1978 (Europe-only). Released in the USA (in a slightly different version) as "The 1976 Solo Keyboard Album" by Epic/CBS in 1982.

As Sideman [link]

Template:With Teena Marie Congo Square With Eddie Henderson

With Alphonse Mouzon

With Airto Moreira

With Flora Purim

  • That's What She Said (Milestone Records, 1978)

With Michael Jackson

With Miles Davis

With Jean-Luc Ponty

With Dianne Reeves

  • Dianne Reeves (Blue Note, 1987)
  • Never Too Far (EMI, 1989)
  • Quiet After The Storm (Blue Note, 1995)
  • Bridges (Blue Note, 1999)
  • In the Moment – Live in Concert (Blue Note, 2000)

With Regina Belle

With Deniece Williams

  • Let's Hear It For the Boy (Columbia, 1984)
  • Love, Niecy Style (Shanachie, 2007)

With Joe Sample

  • Sample This (Warner Bros, 1997)

References [link]

  1. ^ a b c d Allmusic - ((( George Duke )))], artists. Retrieved 2011-08-09
  2. ^ a b c "George Duke biography". Official website/biography section. George Duke online. https://www.georgeduke.com/biography.html. Retrieved 11 December 2010. 
  3. ^ Jurek, Thom (2010). "Biography of George Duke". All Music Guide. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-duke-p6429/biography. Retrieved 11 December 2010. 
  4. ^ "Sunday Night" episodes No.104 (1988), No.113 (1989), No.114 (1989), No.121 (1989)
  5. ^ Independent Music Awards – Past Judges

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: George Duke
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Don Cornelius (1971–1993) · Mystro Clark (1997–1999) · Shemar Moore (1999–2003) · Dorian Gregory (2003–2006)
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https://wn.com/George_Duke

Podcasts:

George Duke

ALBUMS

DreamWeaver

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Deja Vu

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My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings

Released 2008

Dukey Treats

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Keyboard Giant

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Ultimate George Duke

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Feel

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In a Mellow Tone

Released 2006

I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry

Released 2006

Duke

Released 2005

'round Midnight

Released 2004

The 1976 Solo Keyboard Album

Released 2004

The Essential George Duke

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Face the Music

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COOL

Released 2000

Ricky Lawson & Friends: First Things 1st

Released 1999

This Is Jazz

Released 1998

After Hours

Released 1998

Is Love Enough?

Released 1997

Muir Woods Suite

Released 1996

Greatest Hits

Released 1996

Illusions

Released 1995

Live in Montreux

Released 1993

Three Originals

Released 1993

Snapshot

Released 1992

The Collection

Released 1991

3

Released 1990

Reach for It

Released 1990

Night After Night

Released 1989

The Clarke/Duke Project

Released 1987

Thief in the Night

Released 1985

Rendezvous

Released 1984

The Clarke / Duke Project II

Released 1983

Guardian of the Light

Released 1983

Dream On

Released 1982

A Brazilian Love Affair

Released 1980

Follow the Rainbow

Released 1979

Master of the Game

Released 1979

Don't Let Go

Released 1978

Reach For It

Released 1977

From Me to You

Released 1977

Liberated Fantasies

Released 1976

The Aura Will Prevail

Released 1975

Faces in Reflection

Released 1973

The Inner Source

Released 1971

Born: 1946-01-12

Died: 2013-08-05

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PLAYLIST TIME:

6 O'clock

by: George Duke

6 o'clock in the morning
And you're still not here, baby
I can't find you nowhere
You gave no warning
Staying out late with somebody




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