He was very active in the music and synth community and featured numerous times here on MATRIXSYNTH. He was on the recent NAMM 2013 Panel discussion on MIDI. He performed in the 2009 Bob Moog Foundation benefit "Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog" (featured here and here). Below is an image with Michelle Moog-Koussa and the Bob Moog Foundation's comments on his passing.
via wikipedia: "George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013)[2] was a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He had 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 was known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa."
He had just released a new album "DreamWeavers" dedicated to his late wife who passed away in July, 2012.
"ARTISTS ARE DREAMWEAVERS
We take tangible and intangible elements from the known world and combine them with elements from the spiritual world in order to reach deeper levels of understanding between the two. We spin undeveloped yarn of ideas into reality - it is the ultimate act of creating something from nothing in this world. In short, we are the storytellers and conduits of possibilities. The best of us are those that weave deeper levels of yarn thus giving the fabric more depth. That doesn't necessarily mean that more complexity is better for many times the simplest fabric conveys the strongest meaning. The important thing is intent, message, execution and honesty of design and in that I have always tried to hold my stead. Thus my musical fabric is diverse with multiple levels. That is the way of life and definitely the way I roll, so enjoy the ride … as Cannon used to say - 'Ahoom'.." click here for more.
"We are saddened by the sudden passing of jazz legend George Duke, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family. He was taken too soon. The world needs more people with the kind of big talent and big heart that George shared so generously.
The photo below of Michelle Moog-Koussa and George Duke was taken on November 6, 2009, at the Museum of Making Music during the exhibit "Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog". George performed a benefit concert that evening to an enraptured audience."
George Duke - Reach Out
Uploaded on Apr 14, 2009 JedYuseco01·361 videos
"Put your hands together for George Duke,Louis Johnson,Steve
Farrone and Paul Jackson and the GD Band for a seriously slammin'
set live in Tokyo in 1983. A fantastic journey back to a time when REAL musicians played REAL funk before studio created groups and overly choreographed boy bands took center stage."
George Duke Studio Tour 2013
Published on May 23, 2013
"Fusion, funk, and rock keyboard legend George Duke gives us a tour of his home studio, 'Le Gonks West.' Look for a major feature in Keyboard soon on his upcoming new album 'Dreamweaver.'"
George Duke - Shine On
Uploaded on Aug 3, 2009 smoothworld01·228 videos
"From album "DREAM ON" 1982.
George Duke:Vocals,A.Piano,Fender Rhodes
Byron Miller:Bass
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler:Drums
Michael Sembello:Guitar
Jerry Hey,Gary Grant:Trumpet
Bill Reichenbach:Trombone
Larry Williams:Tenor Saxophone"
George Duke - DreamWeaver
Published on Jun 25, 2013 concordrecords·323 videos
"Order on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/DreamWeaver_amzn
OUT OF DEVASTATING PAIN COMES DREAMWEAVER FROM KEYBOARDIST/COMPOSER/ARRANGER/PRODUCER GEORGE DUKE
Out of devastating pain comes DreamWeaver, the new disc, which GRAMMY Award-winning keyboardist/composer/arranger/producer George Duke considers his "most honest album in several years." The making of DreamWeaver occurred after his wife, Corine, passed away. Struck with grief, he found it difficult to work during that period. "I didn't feel like creating any music, which was odd, because normally that's the easiest thing for me to do," he says, "Sometimes, I would walk into the studio and say, 'Nah. It's not going to happen.'"
Duke's mojo returned while on a Capital Cruise. During the first couple of days, he didn't play any music, but did check out some of the other bands. "By the third day, something happened," he remembers. After returning to his cabin around 4 a.m. from listening to music, inspiration ignited. "I went back on the deck and watched the sun come up. A couple of songs started coming to me; I got out my pen and paper, and started writing."
With the assistance of an illustrious cast of musicians that includes bassists Christian McBride and Stanley Clarke; singers Teena Marie, Lalah Hathaway, Rachelle Ferrell, and Jeffrey Osborne; guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. and the late Jef Lee Johnson; among others, DreamWeaver, set for release July 16, 2013 on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, finds Duke emphasizing more instrumentals than in the past as well as concentrating more on his mastery on various synthesizers.
Like the bulk of Duke's discography, DreamWeaver accentuates eclecticism with 15 tracks that range from swinging jazz and sweat funk to gospel-inflected pop and sensual R&B ballads. As the title implies, Duke likens mixing all of the idioms to weaving a sonic fabric. He also compares that stylistic dynamism to life. "Everything is in transition -- from hot to cold, from life to death," he philosophizes, "I wanted to incorporate that kind of thing and include a lot of things that are a part of my life."
The disc begins and ends with allusions of nothingness, starting with the title track, a sparse etude, and finishes with "Happy Trails," a misty ballad that was at first just dedicated to Duke's wife, but later gained more emotional poignancy because of the sudden passing of Johnson, whose distinctive guitar work fades out the conclusion. In between, the disc unfolds with the evocative, mid-tempo modern jazz composition, "Stones of Orion," showcasing Duke's crystalline piano improvisations along with longtime collaborator Clarke on upright bass; the feisty 15-minute workout, "Burnt Sausage Jam," a track that Duke refurbished from his 2002 Facing the Music sessions with Johnson, McBride, and drummer Lil' John Roberts; the frisky gangster-leaning groover, "Round the Way Girl;" the feet-friendly burner, "Jazzmatazz;" and the heartfelt ballad, "Missing You," another direct tribute to Duke's wife."
You'll find a number of posts featuring George Duke here. RIP DreamWeaver. You were a true inspiration us all.
Absolutely gutted, RIP George Duke
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