Ralph Peterson 35th Annual Student Music Awards - Downbeat

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72 DoWNBEAt JUNE 2012
Historical | BY JohN EPhLAND
george Duke’s
Steamrolling ’70s
George Duke, in his revealing, honest liner
notes to From Me To You, says, “The idea for
this album was to merge the styles I love into
one album.” With a much bigger budget and
more time, Duke’s wide palette and far-ranging
talents were clearly on display for this, his
first record for Epic. Perhaps stemming from
his earlier roots, working with, among others,
Cannonball Adderley and Frank Zappa, and on
the heels of a string of strong releases for MPS,
these six titles are a mixed bag, hot stuff one
moment, predictable pablum the next.
Duke’s prolific pen and studio wizardry
as a producer, along with being one
funky player and singer, run through all of
The George Duke Band: The Complete
1970s Epic Albums Collection (Epic/
Legacy 88697930322; 41:25/46:41/42:39/
43:17/42:17/44:15 ★★★1/2). As for From Me
To You, Duke notes his favorite cuts are the
instrumentals, one of which echoes the ’70sera
dance vibe throughout but with all those
interesting signature touches that only Duke
could muster. “’Scuse Me Miss” is fun, and
“Up With It” showcases both the leader’s and
Clarke’s solo prowess on the album’s fusion
tour de force. The acoustic, lyrical “Seasons,”
with Clarke and guitarist Mike Sembello,
registers, hearkening back to Duke’s Zappa
days. Throughout, regular drummer Leon
“Ndugu” Chancler keeps it all moving amidst
the firepower of horns and a vocal ensemble.
Reach For It, Duke’s best seller, continues
the love and dance feel with even more
funkiness, more focus and more percussion.
“Lemme At It” is a spirited romp, tuneful with
a serious kick, a keeper that features Charles
Johnson’s sizzling electric guitar. “Hot Fire”
raises the temp with Latin flavors and a disco
beat with help from percussionist Manolo
Badrena. The title track was a stereo store favorite,
the song’s seductive, slow-and-slinky
beat amidst a chest-thumping electronic dynamic
range (via Duke’s keyboards and Miller’s
boss bass) and a bunch of sassy (mostly) female
foreground/background vocals. The vocal
“Just For You” is classic Duke ballad territory,
sweet and utterly soulful. The Latin vibe
returns with “Omi,” featuring trombonist Raul
de Souza (and an uncredited Flora Purim joining
the background vocals) on this grinding,
uptempo waltz.
Don’t Let Go tried to maintain Reach For
It’s success, adding singers Josie James and
Napoleon Murphy Brock along with percussionist
Sheila Escovedo. While this album
does include nice pit stops with “Percussion
Interlude” and the violin/viola duo “Preface”
is more pop, the big hit “Dukey Stick” loaded
up with a plodding, slinky beat and a party
george Duke
atmosphere of singers and talkers. The zesty
“Morning Sun,” the title-track workout and
“The Way I Feel,” which kicks in and out of
percussive high-gear, contrast with sappy love
songs lacking harmonic grit.
Follow The Rainbow is another big party
with lots of extra horns, inspired by Earth,
Wind & Fire. “Party Down” says it all, as much
a dance tune as anything. Ricky Lawson replaces
Ndugu at drums and the feel is felt:
more disco, less funk, less kick. The shared
vocals and slow, steady beats of “Say That
You Will” and “Sunrise” echo EWF big-time,
the emphasis on radio-friendly music taking
over this release. Vestiges of Latin and the occasional
instrumental surface with the peppy,
percussion-heavy “Festival.”
Master Of The Game, while modeled on
Follow The Rainbow’s personnel and vibe, has
more bite. The opener “Look What You Find”
uses the horn section, a spirited call-andresponse
vocal and hot percussion overlay
to boot. Likewise, there is more EWF energy
with “Every Little Step I Take” and more banter
and squishy synth with the bouncy “Games.”
Disco breezes in with new singer Lynn Davis
and her feathery, soulful falsetto (Duke solos
on piano). More interesting keyboard atmospherics
come in with the quickie “In The Distance,”
and bubble-gum fluff makes up “I Love
You More.”
A Brazilian Love Affair takes his love of
Latin music and puts it front and center, recorded
in Rio and Los Angeles with Airto
Moreira, Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta,
Roberto Silva, Flora Purim and Simone. Duke’s
love of harmonic twists, funky beats and lots
of percussive kick combine on the engaging,
disco-flavored title track, Milton’s gorgeous
“Cravo E Canela” and the haunting “Ao Que
Vai Nascer.” DB
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