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George Duke, jazz musician, dies aged 67 | George Duke, jazz musician, dies aged 67 |
(about 14 hours later) | |
American jazz musician George Duke, a pioneering keyboardist who collaborated with Frank Zappa during the 1970s, has died at the age of 67. | American jazz musician George Duke, a pioneering keyboardist who collaborated with Frank Zappa during the 1970s, has died at the age of 67. |
Former Supremes singer Scherrie Payne confirmed Duke died at St John's hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday. | Former Supremes singer Scherrie Payne confirmed Duke died at St John's hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday. |
His latest album, DreamWeaver, was released in July as a tribute to his wife Corine, who died from cancer in 2012. | |
Duke is survived by his sons, Rasheed and John. | |
"I just received the devastating and sad news that the great musician, George Duke, passed away this evening," said Payne. | "I just received the devastating and sad news that the great musician, George Duke, passed away this evening," said Payne. |
"It was just one year earlier, 18 July, that his beloved wife and my friend, Corine, went to be with the Lord." | "It was just one year earlier, 18 July, that his beloved wife and my friend, Corine, went to be with the Lord." |
An accomplished musician across multiple genres, including jazz, funk and R&B, Duke released more than 30 solo albums. | |
He also produced and composed tracks for several musicians, including Miles Davis, Gladys Knight and Anita Baker. | |
His debut album, George Duke Quartet, was released in 1966 while he was studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. | |
"They approached me at the break and asked me if I'd like to record an album," he would later recall. "Needless to say, I was in a state of shock." | |
Despite calling the album "the worst record" he ever made, Duke went on to work with several talented artists in the late 1960s. | |
They included the contemporary jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, with whom he recorded an album in 1969. | |
Duke met Zappa the same year and worked with him on a series of records, including Chunga's Revenge, 200 Motels and Apostrophe. | |
During a career spanning five decades, Duke composed and produced music for film and was an accomplished music director. | |
He was involved in several prestigious events, among them the Nelson Mandela tribute concert in London in 1989 and a tribute to French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg at the Montreux Jazz Festival. | |
Alyn Shipton, presenter of BBC Radio 3's Jazz Record Requests, said everyone with an interest in jazz music celebrated Duke as one of "the most wide-ranging" of musicians. | |
"On the one hand he made invaluable contributions to records by Cannonball Adderley, Gerald Wilson and Harry 'Sweets' Edison. | |
"On the other, he virtually invented how to use the synthesizer in a jazz-rock context. | |
"But he was also a major producer, working on albums with Miles Davis and the Brecker Brothers, as well as a host of funk and soul artists. | |
"He'll be equally fondly remembered by a new generation of hip hop musicians, who have made him one of the most sampled of all jazz artists." | |
Duke's work has been sampled by such acts as Kanye West, Daft Punk and Ice Cube. He also featured on the third album from Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jill Scott. | |
Duke was devastated by Corine's death and released DreamWeaver less than a month ago as a tribute to her. | |
The musician had been due to perform with his band in Los Angeles in early September. |