Name: Feel
Brand: George Duke

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

0214943MSW

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-02-25

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Proper

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

4029759149439

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

George Duke

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

George Duke was an American R&B, soul, jazz and disco producer, keyboards player and composer. Born on 12.01.1946 in San Rafael, CA, U.S.A., he had a long and extensive solo discography as well as collaborations with Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Cannonball Adderley and many others.
Duke's musical career spanned several genres and he made significant contributions to the music industry. He worked with notable artists such as Dianne Reeves, George Clinton, Anita Baker and Rachelle Ferrell. His talent on the keyboard was widely recognized and his compositions showcased his versatility.
With influences from R&B to jazz fusion, Duke's unique sound resonated with audiences worldwide. His collaborations with renowned performers like The Crusaders, Joe Sample and Ronnie Laws further solidified his place in the music scene. Although he passed away on August 5th of 2013, George Duke's legacy continues to inspire musicians across generations.

MPS is a German jazz label that was founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer. It started as a successor to SABA and quickly gained recognition for its exceptional sound quality. Often compared to the renowned Blue Note label, MPS became known as Most Perfect Sound.

From 1971 onwards, MPS releases were distributed by BASF and later by Metronome Records GmbH (renamed Metronome Musik GmbH in 1977). However, in 1983, due to declining budgets for recording jazz music, Brunner-Schwer shifted his focus to classical music and sold the rights of MPS to Philips. Eventually, the label found its way under Polydor's ownership and its recordings were re-released by Motor Music starting from 1993.

In Hamburg, Universal Jazz Germany took over the MPS archives in 1999 while Speakers Corner Records released various vinyl reissues. After ten years since Brunner-Schwer's passing, Edel acquired MPS's back catalogue from Universal on January 7th, 2014. Now led by Andreas Brunner-Schwer and Friedhelm Schulz, the team has returned to Villingen where they continue recording new material.

This album with the strange psychedelic sci-fi cover draws a tighter circle around Duke’s fusion language. The keyboard master ventures deep into his synthesizer laboratory. Their textures become a more essential component of his pieces, attaining orchestral dimensions, as evidenced in the opener, Funny Funk, with its smacking, squishing tongue-in-cheek dialogue between the synths. 

A virtuoso layering of the keyboards is also central to Cora Joberge, and on Rashid, Duke’s electronic orchestra explodes over the stormy drums of Leon “Ndugu” Chancler. Duke shows himself to be a singer with a soulful sound. Shortly before this recording he had shelved his trombone so that he could communicate more directly with the audience, as can be heard in the hymnal, dreamlike title piece. 

The guest list of players make for an especially exciting concoction. No less than Duke’s playing companion Frank Zappa, under the cryptic pseudonym Obdewl’l X, performs some adventuresome guitar passages on Love and Old Slippers. On the California-sunshine pop samba, Yana Aminah, we have a surprise visit by Brazilian Flora Purim, wife of percussionist Airto Moreira, who opens up his bag of tricks on The Once Over, and plays on three more tracks.

Feel

Music GB