VF Mix 109: George Duke by Paul Raffaele

Tickling the keytar ivories with a funk and jazz pioneer.

This week’s VF Mix sees effusive fixture of the New York scene Paul Raffaele at the helm. Raffaele’s passion for sharing music with others is abundantly clear: as a DJ, founder of the Most Excellent Unlimited label, co-creator of inimitable Love Injection magazine, and host of Classic Album Sundays in the Big Apple, to name a few.

For VF Mix 109, he has delivered a wild, vinyl-only ride through the sonics of George Duke. Listen to the mix, and discover why Raffaele selected Duke below:

“George Duke (1946-2013) was a prolific producer, keyboard player, and composer with over 30 solo albums and collaborations with Frank Zappa, Michael Jackson, Jean Luc Ponty, Cannonball Adderley, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham to his credit.”

“Lately, at an unusual rate, his music has been finding me — at parties, at record stores, and popping up all over liner notes to my surprise. I’m grateful to The Vinyl Factory for this opportunity to do a deep dive into his catalog, and humbly share some of my favourite pieces.”

“I focused on the ’70s, but the Duke-produced, Levan-mixed, ‘Plane Love’ is me opening the door for you to jump in where I left off. George was prolific throughout the ‘80s writing a ton of club records that were huge in the New York clubs, especially the Paradise Garage.”

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Tracklist:

1. George Duke – ‘Rokkinrowl, I Don’t Know’ (Intro Only) – I Love The Blues, She Heard Me Cry, 1975
2. George Duke – ‘Peace’ – The Inner Source, 1973
3. Flora Purim – ‘Above The Rainbow’ – Encounter, 1977 (piano and synthesizer by George Duke)
4. Flora Purim – ‘Tomara (I Wish)’ – Encounter, 1977 (piano and synthesizer by George Duke)
5. Flora Purim – ‘Black Narcissus’ – Encounter, 1977 (piano and synthesizer by George Duke)
6. George Duke – ‘Manya’ – The Inner Source, 1973
7. George Duke – ‘Some Time Ago’ – The Inner Source, 1973
8. George Duke – ‘The Beginning’ – The Beginning, 1977
9. George Duke – ‘The Aura’ – The Aura Will Prevail, 1975
10. George Duke – ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ – A Brazilian Love Affair, 1979
11. The Billy Cobham / George Duke Band, ‘Frankenstein Goes To The Disco’ – “Live” On Tour In Europe, 1976
12. George Duke – ‘North Beach’ – Faces In Reflection, 1974
13. Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention – ‘Inca Roads’ – (keyboards, synthesizer, vocals by George Duke – One Size Fits All, 1975
14. The Third Wave Arranged And Conducted By George Duke – ‘Eleanor Rigby’ – Here And Now, 1970
15. George Duke – ‘Nigerian Numberuma’ – The Inner Source, 1973
16. Dee Dee Bridgewater – ‘Bad For Me (12” Long Version)’ produced by George Duke, remixed by Larry Levan, Elektra 12”, 1979
17. Raul de Souza, ‘Sweet Lucy’ – written by George Duke – Sweet Lucy, 1977
18. George Duke – ‘I Want You For Myself’ – Master Of The Game, 1979
19. Stanley Clarke – ‘Life Is Just A Game’ – keyboards by George Duke, Nemperor Records 7” Promo, 1976
20. George Duke – ‘Love’ – Feel, 1974
21. George Duke – ‘Statement’ – Feel, 1974
22. Jeffrey Osborne, ‘Plane Love (Specially Remixed Version)’, produced by George Duke, Remixed by Larry Levan
from A&M 12”, 1983