Bman's Blues Report

By Jim Farber / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Duke played with the likes of Frank Zappa, Michael Jackson, George Clinton, Anita Baker and Regina Belle. Related Stories Frank Zappa's record label went 'From Straight to Bizarre' with out-there artists Harlem Week: It's time to take action to correct America's long history of gun violence   Harlem Week: Lackluster reviews don't dismay director of 'Motown: The Musical'   Harlem Week: Motown churned out the solid gold hits, but also provided plenty of social commentary   George Duke , the master keyboardist who bridged the worlds of jazz, R&B, funk, and Brazilian music, died Monday at St John’s Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 67. No cause was given. Duke’s passing comes just over a year after the death of his wife, Corine, from cancer last July. The keyboardist dedicated his just-released album, “DreamWeaver,” to her memory...

Billy Cobham - Drums George Duke - Keyboards, Vocals John Scofield - Guitar Alphonso Johnson - Bass, Chapman Stick, Vocals George Duke (born January 12, 1946 in San Rafael, California) is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He is known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa. Duke attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley before earning a bachelor's degree in trombone and composition with a minor in contrabass, from the San Francisco Conservatory in 1967. Playing initially with friends from garages to local clubs, Duke quickly eased his way into session...