George Duke. All-time great afro. All-time great musician. Check the resume: conservatory trained trombonist and composer. Jazz fusionist who played with Cannonball Adderley before linking up with Frank Zappa and playing on 200 Motels and other odd Me Decade experiments. Later collaborators included Miles Davis, Milton Nascimento, and Sheila E. Sampled by Daft Punk, Mylo, Kanye, Doom, Cube, and Spice 1. Most recently, his work re-emerged in connection with Thundercat’s “For Love I Come,” a Duke original. In the interest of the common good, the great B+ has made a mix for Mochilla and the rest of us.
His note is below the jump. The mix is below these words but much higher.
Download: (via Brainfeeder)
MP3: B+ – We Love George Duke Mix (1969-1981)
ThunderCat’s recent cover of For Love I Come inspired me to have a listen again to the amazing music of George Duke. When most of the records on this mix were made it was an extraordinarily creative time in LA. A family of musicians were bringing new rhythms, new instruments, new humor, new international influences to jazz. CannonBall was an important figure and his partner David Axelrod – but the new arrivals Airto Moreira and Flora Plurim were also instrumental and then George Duke from the Bay Area who had collaborated with Frank Zappa.
George Duke has been an inspiration to hiphop for many many years…… Back in 1991 an album came out called Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. You may know the name for another reason but anyways on a song called The Infamous Date Rape Tribe sampled Steam Drill by Cannonball Adderley featuring George Duke and we were off to the races. Ice Cube sampled Duke for True to the Game from Death Certificate that same year. Since then many more beat heads have been attracted to Mr. Dukes amazing keyboard playing, sense of rhythm and unique lyrical stylings. Dilla has definitely listened as has Madlib, Pete Rock, Kanye, Karriem Riggins and now well ThunderCat.
ThunderCat for all his youth has actually played with George Duke.
Anyways this mix is in tribute to George Duke as it is in celebration of ThunderCat.
I think we are in a similarly creative moment now in LA as existed in the mid seventies and it seems fitting to make the link.
Good musicians will make you listen again and
ThunderCats For Love I Come surely made me do that.
Enjoy.
B+
(for Mochilla.com)
