Duke (Bonus Dvd)

George Duke | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Bizarre Planet
• ASIN: B0007US8FM
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,664 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Trust

2. I Wanna Know

3. Superwoman

4. No One

5. T-Jam

6. Somebody's Body

7. Sausalito

8. Saturday Night

9. In Between the Heartaches

10. Hybrids

11. Homeland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expect The Unexpected, March 29, 2005

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Duke (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

For the past 35 years George Duke has been one of the least predictable jazz,funk and fusion keyboard players around.
And this new album simply titles 'Duke' shows that he hasn't changed.In the past decade and a half Duke's sound,as so many other musicians of his type has been forced to compete with many younger (and often less ambitious) singers and musicians who are more popular then he is.So to get it out of the way that is way modern R&B singer Eric Benet sings on "Somebody's Body",which is redeemed totally by Duke's wonderful piano stylings.Elesewhere this CD is a close to wonderful as Duke has ever been.On "Trust",the pulsating "T-Jam" and the more contemporary "Saturday Night" Duke delivers classic funk in his
own unqiue style,just as he does on the midtempo "I Wanna Know",
proving the man hasn't lost his touch.On "Sausalito" and the equally bouncy "Homeland" that Brazillian percussion gets going from Airto for yet another of Duke's trademarks but here,the tunes have a jazzier,more improvised feel to them.Throughout
'Duke' George is heard on the acoustic piano rather then the fender rhodes or electric piano.Nowhere is this more evident then the uncharacteristically gospel-soul flavor of Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman",a much more upbeat flavor then on Wonder's more stark original.A cover of Burt Baccarach's "In Between The Heartaches" recieves a similar treatment.The most shocking is the 18 minute plus "Hybrids",on which Duke and his merry band work an eerier,Miles Davis-like fusion groove to it's very end.But of course halfway through the tune swings into classic Duke funk mode-the song is an excellent example of why people liked this guy so much to start with.And even when 'Duke' indulges in modern R&B for a few minutes he doesn't sit there too long to screw up even the song.So 'Duke' ends up being a much valued and appreciated addition to George Duke's ever growing collection of albums.And it is certainly always a joy to hear brand new music from him!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is music?, August 23, 2005

By 

R. Rice "SmoothRob" (Stockbridge, GA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Duke (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

It seems very odd to me that when well-established musicians decide they've had enough of the industry's stranglehold on their creativity and make the break to either self-production or independent labels, there invariably is a "critic" who insists the product of that independence is somehow not worthy of airplay or purchase by the general public. Thankfully, there are still some of us who choose to make up our own minds.

I own most of the George Duke discography, and this by far is the most enjoyable music I've heard from him in a long time -- and I don't use the term "music" lightly. I don't claim to be the world's authority on Jazz, Smooth Jazz, or any other title you can come up with, but I am both a musician and music collector who knows music, and this, my friends, is what music is all about. From the laid back grooving of "Saturday Night" to the controlled chaos that is "Hybrid," "Duke" shows a musician at his creative peak, free to record as he wants without the industry bean counters wondering about profit margin.
Thank you, Mr. Duke, for putting the music in front of everything else. For those of you reading this, I say don't pay any attention to my opinion. Buy the CD yourself. If you don't like it, then sell it or trade it (very easy to do these days). If you do like it and appreciate the formidable musicianship of this genius, then put it on repeat like I have it right now.
I say this is a keeper...what about you?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Duke indeed...., July 14, 2005

By 

Tawana Hawkins (Akron, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Duke (Bonus Dvd) (Audio CD)

I have listened to not much of anything else since this cd arrived at my home 3 days ago. It was love at first listen. There is a whose who of talent represented on this his latest project. Quite literally there is something for everyone's taste. He harkens back to the days of doo wop with his interpretation of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's, "In Between The Heartaches." "No One" featuring Rachelle Ferrell on lead vocals is breathtaking. I absolutely love everything they do together. On Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman" featuring Eric Benet on vocals, I'll have to admit at first I didn't know what was happening....what an absolutely gorgeous remake. No offense to Eric Benet...the only thing that could have made this a perfect 10 is to have featured Frank McComb on this song. Other standout songs include, "I Wanna Know", "Saturday Night", and "Sausalito." Excellent job! Excellent cd. I hope to be seeing him soon in some city near me.