Zoneboy
08-06-2013, 11:03 AM
Link (http://news92fm.com/372678/jazz-rb-funk-legend-george-duke-dies-at-age-67/)
According to reports, veteran jazz, R&B, funk and fusion keyboard virtuoso George Duke has died at age 67. This news comes after a difficult period for the acclaimed musician whose wife, Corine, passed away just over a year ago. Sources say Duke died on 5 August but no other details have yet been confirmed as to the cause of his death, which comes just after the release of his latest album, Dreamweaver, which he’d dedicated to his wife’s memory. We will have more for you on his death as details become available.
Duke was left devastated by the death of his wife and unable to make music for months, but the keyboardist and composer eventually overcame his grief to create an inspiring collection of mostly original compositions called “DreamWeaver.” He weaves together the eclectic threads of his 40-plus year musical career: acoustic jazz, electronic jazz-rock fusion, funk, R&B and soul.
The mid-tempo “Stones of Orion,” which pairs Duke on acoustic piano with longtime collaborator Stanley Clarke on upright bass, is a gently swinging modern jazz composition that recalls his early days with Cannonball Adderley’s band. Duke’s distinctive ability to make vintage synthesizers — the ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, clavinet and Prophet 5 — sound bluesy and funky comes through on the 15-minute “Burnt Sausage Jam.”
Duke also assembled an impressive lineup of soul and R&B vocalists, including Lalah Hathaway, Jeffrey Osborne and BeBe Winans on the uplifting, gospel-influenced “Change the World,” which takes after Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World.” ‘’Ball & Chain,” written by Teena Marie for a jazz album she planned with Duke, is one of the late powerhouse singer’s last recorded performances.
Duke expresses his love for his late wife on the tender, piano-driven ballad “Missing You,” a romantic vocal duet with Rachelle Ferrell. The album ends by turning the cowboy ballad “Happy Trails” — Dale Evans’ closing theme to “The Roy Rogers Show” — into a soulful, heartfelt farewell to his wife, made even more poignant by the sudden death of guitarist Jef Lee Johnson shortly after he recorded the fadeout guitar solo.
According to reports, veteran jazz, R&B, funk and fusion keyboard virtuoso George Duke has died at age 67. This news comes after a difficult period for the acclaimed musician whose wife, Corine, passed away just over a year ago. Sources say Duke died on 5 August but no other details have yet been confirmed as to the cause of his death, which comes just after the release of his latest album, Dreamweaver, which he’d dedicated to his wife’s memory. We will have more for you on his death as details become available.
Duke was left devastated by the death of his wife and unable to make music for months, but the keyboardist and composer eventually overcame his grief to create an inspiring collection of mostly original compositions called “DreamWeaver.” He weaves together the eclectic threads of his 40-plus year musical career: acoustic jazz, electronic jazz-rock fusion, funk, R&B and soul.
The mid-tempo “Stones of Orion,” which pairs Duke on acoustic piano with longtime collaborator Stanley Clarke on upright bass, is a gently swinging modern jazz composition that recalls his early days with Cannonball Adderley’s band. Duke’s distinctive ability to make vintage synthesizers — the ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, clavinet and Prophet 5 — sound bluesy and funky comes through on the 15-minute “Burnt Sausage Jam.”
Duke also assembled an impressive lineup of soul and R&B vocalists, including Lalah Hathaway, Jeffrey Osborne and BeBe Winans on the uplifting, gospel-influenced “Change the World,” which takes after Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World.” ‘’Ball & Chain,” written by Teena Marie for a jazz album she planned with Duke, is one of the late powerhouse singer’s last recorded performances.
Duke expresses his love for his late wife on the tender, piano-driven ballad “Missing You,” a romantic vocal duet with Rachelle Ferrell. The album ends by turning the cowboy ballad “Happy Trails” — Dale Evans’ closing theme to “The Roy Rogers Show” — into a soulful, heartfelt farewell to his wife, made even more poignant by the sudden death of guitarist Jef Lee Johnson shortly after he recorded the fadeout guitar solo.