People may not remember George Duke, but I certainly do — as a former player for Frank Zappa, a genius I admired for years and, who himself, passed away in 1993 at the age of 52 due to prostate cancer.

George Duke passed away on Monday, August 5th, at the age of 67, in Los Angeles, from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  Keyboards and trombone were his brilliant forte.

I remember him for his jazz-fusion background with Zappa and also with French violinist Jean Luc-Ponty.

He played here with Frank Zappa’s various iterations:

As sideman

With Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention

• Chunga’s Revenge (Bizarre/Reprise, 1970)
• 200 Motels (United Artists, 1971)
• Waka/Jawaka (Bizarre/Reprise, 1972)
• The Grand Wazoo (Bizarre/Reprise, 1972)
• Over-Nite Sensation (DiscReet, 1973)
• Apostrophe (‘) (DiscReet, 1974)
• Roxy & Elsewhere (DiscReet, 1974)
• One Size Fits All (DiscReet, 1975)
• Bongo Fury (DiscReet, 1975)
• Studio Tan (DiscReet, 1978)
• Sleep Dirt (DiscReet, 1979)
• Them or Us (Barking Pumpkin, 1984)
• You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (Rykodisc, 1988)
• Läther (Rykodisc, 1996)
• The Dub Room Special (Zappa, 2007)

God bless you sir.  You are preceded by likewise brilliant musicians.  Imagine what you and Dave Brubeck could do.  Oh?  You’ve just now met him?

The music you can make now, sir.  It staggers.

BZ

Here, the fabulous Brothers of Invention, George Duke and Jean Luc-Ponty:

Now you have just a whiff of the brilliance of this wonderful musician.