GEORGE DUKE

George's second solo studio album release of 1974, this one containing a few guests who were not present on Faces in Reflection.

1. "Funny Funk" (5:18) George experimenting with more new sounds. (8.75/10)

2. "Love" (6:06) a partly vocal song featuring Frank Zappa using Ernie Isley's guitar tone. (8.75/10)

3. "The Once Over" (4:39) a spacey, moody HERBIE HANCOCK-like start before a mood change occurs in the second minute prompting a reset into rhythm-oriented foundation. The return to reverberating Fender Rhodes chords at 2:20 is interesting, but it remains a percussionist's song untill its RTF-like final second flourish. (8.875/10)

4. "Feel" (5:40) more vocals--this time with electric piano and synths backing them. At the end of the first minute the rhythm section joins in as George flies through a short but effective synth solo. Then we settle into a gentle, syrupy pop song that predicts the smooth R&B jazz pop music of GEORGE BENSON, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, and MICHAEL FRANKS. More extraordinary synth soloing over the Fender Rhodes-led rhythm track. Definitely a top three song despite its lack of jazz orientation. (9/10)

5. "Cora Joberge" (3:50) dynamic electric piano with delay effect eventually gets support from flourishes from synth and drums before funkified bass and steady cymbal play join in. Poor recording of "dirty" effected electric piano. There are parts of this that remind me of Terry Riley or somebody else in the pioneering phase of electronic keyboards. (8.75/10)

6. "Old Slipper" (5:41) funky jam with multiple keys filling the sonic field as well as serving as lead instruments. The multiple personalities of George Duke! Perfect syncopated support from Ndugu and John. Interesting but not very noteworthy. An unstable" synth note introduced around the three-minute mark signals the upcoming transition into a proggy and then Parliamentarian passage--the latter of which find Frank Zappa's very-distorted guitar jumping in and shredding away. (8.75/10)

7. "Tzina "(2:01) dreamy/spacey keyboard play from multiple keyboard instruments/tracks (including some strings emulator) results in a kind of cinematic interlude. (4.375/5)

8. "Yana Aminah" (4:33) Airto's wife, Flora Purim, graces this Latin song with her vocal tracks, singing in English. Too bad the lyrics weren't more poetic nor the layered vocal tracks more polished and better synchronized. Overall this sounds very much like a song Stevie Wonder would have written for his wife, Syreeta Wright. STill, it's a pretty decent song; George could very easily have had a career in writing/producing pop songs. (8.75/10)

9. "Rashid" (3:36) starts out as a KOOL & THE GANG or CAMEO kind of funk song, then turns a sharp left at 1:49 onto a speedway for a hyperspeed synth solo that plays out for the rest of the song. (8.66667/10)

10. "Statement" (1:15) another pretty little cinematic interlude sounding like something from Patrick Moraz's solo album, I. (4.5/5)

Total time 42:39

More of the same sound issues I had with Goerge's previous album (from the same year). I have to say that there has been a slight improvement in performance contribution from both Ndugu and John Heard.

B/four stars; another excellent album to add to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collection. Not quite as good as his other 1974 release, Face in Reflection, but still worthy of listening to (and enjoying).

The peak of George Duke's solo Jazz-Rock Fusion work.

1. "The Opening" (3:18) rollicking RTF-like racing music.. (8.875/10)

2. "Capricorn" (5:06) bluesy like a slavery field work song. I can feel the deep emotions being released. (8.875/10)

3. "Piano Solo No 1+2" (2:21) not really the piano I was expecting: a strangely electrified piano and ? piano? Nice music. Part two is definitely different and yet clearly a continuation of the same sound(s). (4.33333/5)

4. "Psychosomatic Dung" (5:03) funky schlock that will become all the rage within the next three years minus all the dynamics from the rhythm section. Ndugu gets some shine in the fourth minute before George lets loose on the wah- wah clavinet and Fender Rhodes. (8.75/10)

5. "Faces In Reflection No.1" (Instrumental) (3:37) nice foundation with some excellent soloing and sound use but lacking fullness and development. (Perhaps George should've had one more collaborator). Probably one of my top three songs. (8.875/10)

6. "Maria Tres Filhos" (5:09) this one not only sounds like a Chick Corea song, it may be! (It isn't: it's written by the great Brazilian songwriter Milton Nacimento.) Nice percussive work throughout from Ndugu but even more so during his extended solo in the fourth minute. (8.75/10)

7. "North Beach" (6:26) a long keyboard solo that sounds like wah-pedal rhythm guitar play and a bunch of sound effects. It's actually kind of cool. (8.875/10)

8. "Da Somba" (6:18) a song that races along on the power of the collective energy of all three highly-attuned musicians. John Heard's extended bass solo pales when compared to other contemporary bass players like Stanley Clarke, Buster Williams, Ron Carter, or Eddie Gomez. (8.75/10)

9. "Faces In Reflection No.2" (Vocal) (2:19) a final vocal supporting song--the tension here is quite cool--making the listener crave for more. My favorite piece on the album. (5/5)

Total time 39:37

Clearly influenced by Chick Corea's RETURN TO FOREVER releases, there is no arguing with George Duke's talent and skill. The biggest issues I have with the music on this album are in the sound recording and reproduction department as well as in the area of composition. Perhaps George needed an escape from the crazy control that was even the world of Frank Zappa. The heavy sound effects used on bassist John Heard's double bass seem to mimic those of RTF bass player STANLEY CLARKE. Leon "Ndugu" Chancler's drum playing is quite good but the sound engineering of his drums (not cymbals) suffers from a murky-muted compressed feel.

B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collection. Definitely an album that gets better with repeated listens.

George Duke makes a step in becoming more laid-back and smoothie cocktail of R&B, smooth jazz and crossover jazz. While no vocal track captured my attention, the rendition of Superwoman is quite well done with playful piano and similar vocals to Wonder. "Hybrids" is a monstrous instrumental track full of crossover jazz jamming, hearing great trumpet solo, keyboard trippy playing. No clear overall structure but several motives glued together. Something that jazz fans were looking for. On the fusion side, there is little energetic or jazz-rock music. Not a bad album but hardly an outstanding one as "Facing the music" was in 2002.

One of the best late Duke albums comes with "Face the music". There is the groovy cozy feeling characteristic to all late GD albums. Secondly, it contains a couple of good compositions and moves. What should we think of the great "Creepin'" with unusual chord sequence, creepy feeling and kind of RIO vocals, maybe an idea from the Zappa times? We have excellent dynamic funk with perfect instrumentation on the 11-minute workout "Ten mile jog". Jazz purists may welcome the acoustic bass by Christian McBride on some tracks but it is also changed to the funky electric bass. Horn section play creatively, too. And the master itself, delivers some of the most motivated keyboard chops in his late career, be it on "Let's roll" with electric piano and with classic piano on "Chillin'". Most songs are long but not boring thanks to the lively instrumentation. Fusion fans will be pleased by several keyboard/bass/drums interactions although not at the very adventurous level. Recommended.

The orthodox George Duke fan must have been pleased when listening to the first seconds of the album, a well constructed contemporary fusion leaves the speakers and two jazz stars contribute - Christian McBride on the bass and the old fellow Chancler left of the chain. The second reason to please is the absence of radio-friendly smooth crossover jazz/pop in favour of fully instrumental tracks. Duke can pull off a dynamic solo however he is equally strong in contributing atmospheric mellow tracks with electric or acoustic piano. This music may not be demanding but well suitable "After hours" to reflect while listening to an intelligent music. There are actually good melodies, too, such as on the catchy "Anticipation". Yes, Duke has prepared plenty of enchanting keyboard moments, mainly on pianos. One complaint could be the absence of more upbeat tracks but at least the flow is coherent. Non-essential but one of a kind in Duke's discography.

Duke continues with contemporary R&B/smooth jazz on this album, which fares slightly better than "Snapshot". He even adds 4 or 5 good instrumentals that sound inspired. The music flows nicely, is subdued but not dull and at least keyboard performance is convincing. So where's the catch? After hearing the album, you won't remember much of it as there aren't any compositional strengths despite production and playing experience. To me, instrumentals stand out and so some instrumental performances in the vocal tracks such as the upbeat and powerful "Life and times". From instrumentals, let's mention the atmospheric advanced piano licks in "Money", the reflective "No greater love". Good but little to find for progressive ears.

Duke made a biggest sudden shift in his music - this time it is from the 80's R&B to a competent smooth jazz underlined music. Not betting on melodies anymore, it is more about feeling and atmosphere. Thankfully, music sounds more natural with the exception of tuned drums. There's no rush, each song has a room for the players to provide understated expression, in the best case it's a tasteful piano. On the flipside, the album goes on for too long given the material strength even though there is a certain track diversity - Latin instrumental, smooth jazz or contemporary R&B. The album is mainly recommended to those interesting in the revived Duke playing abilities

George Duke and George Benson had similar careers in the 80's - going pretty well in the first part of the 80's, both top instrumentalists, great vocalists and experiencing the career low point in the second half of the 80's getting drowned in the dated music settings. Duke experiments with synths, loops and effects. I suppose there are even no acoustic instruments here on the album, drums have the typical mid-late 80's sound. This does not help elevate the already pedestrian material. First better song comes with "Good friend", a female vocal sung romantic song. "So mean to me" has a good keyboard solo, for 80's. "Stand with your man" is an attempt at funk, lively bass. "The morning, you and love" is a radio-suitable ballad with a clean melody and flow. "African Violet" is the sole instrumental piece, moderately developed and calming.

Rendezvous is an album of contrasts to me. On one hand, several slick R&B numbers that could have belonged to a C- category artists be it not for Duke vocals and a occasional hint of keyboard playing. On the other hand, Duke returned to instrumentals - and I don't care if they are fusion or pop-related as long as they are good. "Thinking of you" is one of them - unpretentious mellow with lead synths, well played. With "Better ways", we have one of the better sung tracks, quite rocking and funking actually - not sure who sings though. The sub-par album ends on a higher note: Firstly, "Your note" inspired by his previous albums - a good melody and instrumentation for mid 80's. "Ipanema lady" brings us even more back in time, end of 70's with "Follow the rainbow" or "A Brazilian love affair" albums - a shiny instrumental with some ambition, finally! I like the prog-inspired symphonic synth ending.

Judging by the album title and song names, it could turn out to be a conceptual album. Since I never pay attention to the lyrics and focus solely on music, I can say that there isn't any concept included in music here. The only sign of musical concept is at the very start - a nice upbeat funky instrumental called "Overture".

What follows is a typical mixture of mid-tempo pop R&B numbers and ballads. You can hear more importance set on production as opposed to natural instruments from the past. Vocals have become the centerfield of songs, be it Duke or guest vocalists. The result is a typical 80's well-produced R&B set that will please your ears as it's undemanding and soothing.