I was sorry to learn that the prolific pianist George Duke died this past week. I had the pleasure of seeing him live with Frank Zappa in the early ’70s. He played a lot of great music during his 67 ½ years.
Below is a link to a video clip from a never-aired made-for-TV performance, featuring one of Zappa’s greatest bands, including not only George Duke but also Ian Underwood (woodwinds), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Ralph Humphrey (drums), Tom Fowler (bass), Ruth Underwood (marimba), and Jean-Luc Ponty (violin). This is a taste of what Zappa’s music was like around the time of Studio Tan / Läther.
https://youtu.be/6VAjr5tZyeI?si=FGe12gOd40yGGf1P
For a bit of George’s later work, here’s “My Piano” from his 2002 album “Face the Music”—
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