As America and the world continue to evolve into a musical stratosphere of the unknown, there have been very few artists, musicians or producers who can say they’ve made a contribution to music in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, at the turn of the century, and still at it in 2011. George Duke is definitely one of a kind, as he’s contributed his own very unique greatness in sound and style with the likes of legends such as Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Cannonball Adderly and Frank Zappa, to name a few. The Duke has not only laid down tracks with superstars, but produced award winning television specials with legends, who headline sound stages around the world. All of his work has made us dance and relax to endless sounds of Funk, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues. Without question, George Duke has been a triple threat in entertainment as part of a process to educate and entertain an audience way bigger than he could have ever imagined. After countless recordings, tours and productions, he’s still in the business of keeping the art form of “music” alive. His latest contributions are “The George Duke Band Live in Prague DVD”, “The DMS Tour” featuring George Duke, Marcus Miller and David Sanborn, and a few more surprises guaranteed to keep audiences dancing and critics talking.
Music has changed tremendously over the years, but the sounds of George Duke remain timeless, soothing and a formula that has taken multiple superstars to the top of the charts. Despite a worldwide recession, he continues to perform around the globe. “ I want to do this for as long as I can”, explains Duke. “Believe it or not I’m still having fun. As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down, and I know is at some point all of this will stop, but until then I’m still enjoying the ride. I just want to try to do more why I still have time left on this earth, and I probably won’t have time to do all that I want or would like to do, but something that I have not done is record and do some performances with artists from other countries- more ethnically oriented artists like African Indigenous artists, just plain folk who have good ideas and a good sound”.
After a life of performances around the world and having recorded with every popular artist from his era, Duke talks about why he continues to love what he does. “It’s simple, I love the smiling faces”, he continues. “My life is like a bubble, I’m always traveling, meeting people, and doing all of this has had great rewards for me. I believe that music has the power to heal people, to deliver people, and present a positive message in a positive way. And it’s been my goal to do that from day one. Now that I’m older, I’m now taking the opportunity to give back to all the many fans who have supported us over the years. At the ends of shows, I get out there to the audience and shake hands, take pictures and mingle with people. This current show is actually very successful because of that, and I got Marcus (Miller) and Dave (Sanborn) out doing the same. We’re all tired after the shows, but I see it a very worthwhile thing to get out there and see the people face to face, that one on one experience. The audience loves it, and it helps us because we get to see and learn things about making the audience experience a better one. I have a project coming up with Al Jerreau, and I’m working on getting him out there as well”.
Since “Live In LA”, released in 1971, to “Déjà Vu” released in 2010, Duke continues to make himself a household name. Unlike many in the entertainment business, he continues to work despite a bad economy. His records remain timeless regardless of the Internet age. “Art is important for us to keep alive, “ continues Duke. “ If you’re not into the digital thing now, you’re out of the game, and you’re in trouble. I love the Internet because it allows artists from all over the world to connect, study and discover new styles of music to make what they do better. The Internet in my opinion is saving music. It’s opening up a world to many of us that we didn’t know existed. You can get digital downloads with Itunes, Amazon and all of that. What I don’t like and has become tuff for musicians is the cuts in education and music departments in schools for the kids. The kids are suffering because of this. Obcourse we know it’s about finances, and that makes it very difficult. At the same time it makes it very difficult for those super talented artists out here looking to make a living at making music. The chances to see the industry return to what it use to be is not very good at all. Everything is changing, and not for the better”.
And what does he listen to, “ I listen to it all. We’re living in a new age of distribution with the Internet. CD’s are a thing of the past. The Internet has changed the entire world and I feel very fortunate to be living in this day and time. I’m glad about where we are going when it comes to music and entertainment. It was just a few days ago, Erykah Badu came over and brought some of her new tracks to let me hear. It’s really a slamming album. Then I like Jill Scott and all of her stuff. What I would like to see also is more collaboration between older artists and the new artists. I’ve done a lot of projects, and I can’t say that I get a lot of calls from the young kids who like what I do and won’t to collaborate. It seems that our worlds are so distant, and the music is somewhat so different, but I welcome the opportunity to work with some of them. One project that I do have is the new Christian McBride project. This is going to be a good project as well”. McBride is no newcomer to the industry being that he’s introduced a few projects (“Kind of Brown”, “Conversations With Christian”, and “Live At Tonic”, which are his most recent projects), but this is a good example of the old school working with a somewhat younger demographic, although McBride is considered a Contemporary Jazz Artist.
In closing Duke shares his support system, and talks about the future. “yea I do the music, but I can’t do it without a supportive family. “ My son handles the business and my wife handles everything else. It’s like she sat down beside me and never got up. She does it all. When I travel, I can call her and she’s got the schedule there so we know what’s next. I could not do this without her”. And what’s happening in the future? “ I’m currently on tour with Marcus Miller and Dave Sanborn. I’m also talking with Al Jerreau for a project, and there’s also a new project with Paxton Baker at Black Entertainment Television, and perhaps a few more projects. And touring, and maybe a project with Stanley Clark. For more information about George Duke, visit http://www.georgeduke.com/
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