Duke Download

Faces In Reflection, a solo-album by George Duke released in 1974, is available for download here. The album hasn’t been re-issued on CD yet. Duke had this to say about it:

I actually like this record. This was the first LP that really said what I wanted to say. The idea was to play intense music and use the voice as a tool for orchestration. (…) I began experimenting with odd time signatures and various synthesizer textures. This was my first solo record using a synthesizer.

Also available: the album Feel from the same year.
And while we’re at it, have a look at Stravinsky in Rehearsal:

In 1947, William Malloch, possessing a sense of history, recorded Igor Stravinsky rehearsing his new revision of his “Symphonies of Wind Instruments in memory of Debussy”. The sound is antique but the picture of what Stravinsky is striving for musically comes through clearly enough.

9 thoughts on “Duke Download”

  1. the stravinsky piece sounds like it influenced zappa to write: “this won’t take long, just a few questions” from 200 motels.
    Boogie on Igor.

  2. Both albums are heavily influenced by Zappa. Is that any real surprise? These albums use many of the same musicians (i.e. Roxy era — with FZ playing guitar on two of the tracks on Feel) while still keeping that George Duke feeling and sound. Indeed, boogie on Igor.

  3. Thanks guys, did seem to be my browser prefs. Couldn’t figure out what to change so switched from Safari to Firefox and it’s working. “And so, George, as you say in your language, took it away!”

  4. Don’t forget other Duke albums, such as ‘Don’t Let Go’ and ‘Follow the Rainbow’ (also with added Napoleon Murphy Brock, you not only get the Desinex burger..). they may sound more like Earth, Wind and Fire than Zappa, but they’re still worth a listen.

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