Legendary jazz musician George Duke passed away last night, according to NPR.
They described him as such:
"He was also a very successful record producer who worked with folks like Gladys Knight, The Pointer Sisters, Anita Baker, Rachelle Ferrell.
"As an instrumentalist he started by working with Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon. But he made his mark in the jazz fusion vein, most notably with fellow fusion musicians Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham. He had a series of respected fusion albums going back to the late 1970's.
"From the mid '60s, he also worked as a member of Frank Zappa's recording and touring band. Most recently he had been a big draw at jazz fests around the world that catered to the mix of R&B and jazz artists."
Pitchfork adds
Active in the music world since the 1960s, Duke was a prolific solo artist and leader of various ensembles, releasing over 30 albums. He also worked as a producer and guest musician with artists like Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, and Miles Davis.
Duke scored a number of films and is responsible for the sample source material for a number of contemporary dance and rap songs, including tracks by Daft Punk, Common, Madlib, A Tribe Called Quest, MF Doom, Ice Cube, and countless others. Thundercat covered his track "For Love (I Come Your Friend)".
Duke was 67 when he died of leukemia.
