| |
George Duke
Mitch Glickman |
|
Grammy Award winning bandleader, producer, composer and keyboardist, George Duke has worked with a Who’s Who of musical greats, ranging from Cannonball Adderly to Dianne Reeves, Frank Zappa to Al Jarreau, Jean-Luc Ponty to Anita Baker.
George’s composition, the “Muir Woods Suite” for jazz quartet and orchestra debuted at the Montreaux Jazz Festival and was recorded on Warner Brothers Records. George has performed the work around the world with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, and the Prima la Musica Orchestra.
His producer credits include such hits as Jeffrey Osborne’s “On the Wings of Love,” Dianne Reeves’ “Fumilayo,” Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear it For the Boy,” Miles Davis’ “Tutu,” Al Jarreau’s “Heart’s Horizon,” and A Taste of Honey’s “Sukiyaki.”
George grew up in Marin County, California and received his bachelor degree from the San Francisco Conservatory Of Music and master’s degree from San Francisco State University. He began his career working in a small club in San Francisco with a young singer named Al Jarreau, and later toured with Cannonball Adderly.
George became a solo artist in 1976, and enjoyed success with a series of fusion-oriented recordings including From Me To You and Reach For It, which propelled George Duke into the upper reaches of the charts, and from small clubs to large arenas. He also wrote and produced the number one single "Sweet Baby" for his own recording with Stanley Clarke (The Clarke/Duke Project).
Through the years, along with his 30 solo projects and busy producing schedule, George has acted as musical director for numerous artists and television specials, including the Soul Train Music Awards (nine years), NBC's Sunday Night Show and Anita Baker. He served as musical director for Disney's concert to benefit the Foundation for Pediatric AIDS For Our Children.
George continues to tour the world, performing at festivals in Russia, Mexico, Switzerland and Brussels, and is currently scoring the recent DMX feature film. Predictably, the energetic, unstoppable George Duke keeps moving from strength to strength, bringing invention, dimension and texture to music that is alive with personality and rich with artistry.
For more info, see George Duke's web site: www.GeorgeDuke.com
|
