George Duke - The Era Will Prevail (The MPS Studio Years 1973-1976) - 180g 7LP Box Set

Product no.: VIN13027


can be shipped within 7 days

George Duke - The Era Will Prevail (The MPS Studio Years 1973-1976) - 180g 7LP Box Set
£155.95
Price includes VAT, plus delivery


Available delivery methods: UK Tracked with Signature, UK Express, UK Standard, Heavy Item

MPS - VN13027 - Limited Edition - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - 060075340

Pure Analogue Audiophile Remaster - Pressed in Germany  

The Absolute Sound Top 10 Records 2016

For fans of fusion and funk from the 1970s, George Duke had to be a mainstay on your turntable and radio. This box set would make a nice purchase to cement the positive vibes that Mr. Duke elicited in his mastery of these musical genres. Audiophile and turntable fans will find this beautifully presented box set an enticing prospect. 4/5 Sound Audiophileaudition Review

George Duke 
The MPS Studio Years 1973 - 1976 

All albums on 180g vinyl remastered and cut from the original master tapes. 

recordings were made in the same year, shortly after George Duke had left Frank Zappa's band and taken over the place of Joe Zawinul in the  Cannonball Adderley Quintet. They are considered to be true highlights of Duke's work, an act of musical release with an audibly rapid development both on the keys and as a band leader. And as an added tidbit, you can hear Duke playing the trombone on an album for definitely the last time!

The recordings are now available in unprecedented sound quality. The original analogue recordings from 1971 form the basis of Christoph Stickel's unobtrusive "refurbishing" which aims to avoid any artistic intervention. You, the valued listener, will be transported back into the sound engineer's chair at the time of recording.

In this box: 
The Inner Source 
Faces In Reflection 
Feel 
Liberated Fantasies 
The Aura Will Prevail 
I Love the blues, She heard my cry 

Included is a sheet with information of the recording and mastering process.

A curious happenstance in 1966 triggered the partnership between MPS head Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer and George Duke.

Brunner-Schwer was in San Francisco to record the Art van Damme Quintet. After finishing the recording session one evening, he and his team strolled over to a club called the Jazz Workshop. Les McCann was supposed to be playing, but this particular day was his day off. Instead, a 20 year old pianist, still involved in his studies, was performing with his quartet. The music’s freshness so enthralled the German that he set up a recording session on the spot.

This encounter between George Duke and Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer in sunny California was both accidental and noteworthy. It turned out to be the jazzy prologue to future events: five years later the American began his fusion-infused sessions for the man from Germany’s Black Forest.

These sessions are the theme of this box set with its seven LPs. Some 40 through 45 years after their initial releases, these albums still count as a fascinating and essential part of George Duke’s life’s-work and canon of the genre.

Photos of the original tape boxes 
180 gram virgin vinyl 
liberation MPS original tapes of Altersspuren 
Careful optimization of analog tapes 
Strict respect for the time-related sound aesthetics 
pure analog recut the remastered tapes


The remastering 

 In order to meet the high tonal claim the original recordings justice fu was nchner MSM Studios of two outstanding engineersr the remastering in the  chosen a particular philosophy: Dirk summer from Hifi Statement netmagazine and Christoph Stickel

ECM remastering (including Keith Jarrett's "Köln Concert") is responsible, the historical faithfulness committed as the highest guiding principle.  Maintaining all the sound events were thus the "original"

The records
"Solus" / "The Inner Source" (1973) 


It is the year 1971: George Duke, fresh the Mothers of Invention outgrown has hired the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. From April arise in quick succession two recordings, which are summarized in its appearance in 1973 a huge statement in the form of a double-LP - moreover, contrary to the will of the artist. In lean occupied Fusion chapter number one called "Solus" Duke tested its new, trained at Adderley composition philosophy only with bassist John Heard and drummer Dick Berk. The board is both more committed to the jazzy environment, how the harmony lively piano improvisation flow of "Love Doll" or the beboppigen Umtrieb of "The Followers" shows. But they also indicated already on the importance of keyboards in very different context for: funk-rock in "Au-right", dreamy glimmend in "Peace". And with "Manya" Duke has lived exuberant of his experimental synth page. 
A similar direction search is made ​​on "The Inner Source" continues: "So There You Go" is to be downright lovely waltz with electric piano, "Sometime Ago "however, is pure tone and atmosphere. In "Nigerian Numberumba" we find an exotic gem that simulates an African lamellophones mischievously with Echoplex and Ring Modulator. Duke begins here with the occupation vary: "Feels So Good" and "My Soul", lined with Latin percussion, present pointed brass and woodwind accents (of luminaries from the Thad Jones and Santana environment), just as the title track, a master stroke on quintet dramaturgy, with the Leader himself on his Erstinstrument, the trombone. As a curiosity deliver in "Twenty-Five" two basses a contest. The finale "Always Constant" is committed to a free language that has unrolled spontaneously in the studio.


"Feel" (1974) 
The work with the same peculiar as imaginative, psychedelic sci-Cover pulls the circle around Dukes Fusion language closely. The master key here ventures deep into the laboratory of his synthesizer, which are an integral part of the textures of his works now, form a whole orchestra. In opener "Funny Funk" can already be winking, smacking dialogues of different synths. Virtuos guided layers of Keys also determine "Cora Jobege" in "Rachid" explodes Dukes electronic keyboard orchestra to drum thunderstorm of Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. Duke presents itself further as a singer with a soulful timbre ago: Shortly before, he had placed his trumpet shelved and was able to direct in communicating with the audience, as the dream-like title track anthem demonstrates ears. Particularly exciting raises the guest list is: Under the cryptic pseudonym Obdewl'l X operates in "Love" and "Old Slippers" none other than Duke-partner Frank Zappa himself with partly adventurous filtered guitar passages. And in "Yana Aminah", a California-Sunshinepop Samba, also surprised the Brazilian Flora Purim - wife of Airto Moreira also represented on percussion, which lays down his workbench on "The Once Over."


"Faces In Reflection" (1974) 
In many respects this trio recording is a milestone in the career of the young Californian: It reveals other early experiments with the ARP synthesizer, a new creativity to the more conventional keyboards like the Wurlitzer, the Fender Rhodes and the Clavinet. "Faces in Reflection" is therefore characterized by very different tone shades: From explosive "Opening" the journey goes to almost tender "Capricorn", which had pilfered Duke from the Canon Adderley repertoire, his second prominent partners alongside Zappa at that time. Two impressionistic solo interludes lead on in the funky fusion Prank "Psychosomatic extension" with a spectacular interplay of drummer "Ndugu" and bassist John Heard. The mysterious synth lines of the title track are the calming influence against Dukes lustful love affair with Brazil in the second set: The most surprising excursion this disc is likely because the same time shining as rhythmically extremely tricky adaptation of Milton Nascimento be "Maria Três Filhos" experimental by the Synth-laboratory is thwarted by "North Beach". Duke himself kept these recordings in honor by letting declares: "This was the first LP did really Said what I wanted to say."


"The Aura Will Prevail" (1975) 
Recording of 1975 reflects in very concentrated quartet how far Duke from - had developed "stuffy and serious jazz musicians' way towards the same experimental and humorous fusion master - in his own words , With Santana drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, bassist Alphonso "Slim" Johnson and Brazilian percussion Airto Moreira wizard he creates visually stunning sound scenarios that show him once more as one of the pioneers on the synthesizer. So he paints about in "Dawn" an imaginative Morgenstimmung on keyboards, in "Floop De Loop" he conjures breathlessly funky garlands of the keys. With "For Love" and "Fools", however, he sits down in smoothen ballads as soulful singers in scene. A teasing touch exudes the very laid back held, bluesy funk miniature "Foosh". Dukes former collaboration with the Mothers of Invention has rubbed with the adaptation of "Echidna's Arf" and "Uncle Remus". A samba touch finally gets the work with the relaxed tropical charm of "Malibu", and also the outro "The Aura" swings again in Latin temper.


"I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry" (1975) 
on the fourth drive his fusion cycle for the Black Forest George Duke expands the list of his associates considerably. The centerpiece of the Rhythm Section forms still drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, also the couple Airto & Flora Brasil is again one of the party. The ten tracks perform a stylistic balancing act: The hibbelige radio of "Chariot" and the smoothe ballad "Someday" show Dukes vocal Soul qualities. With its spherical voice Flora Purim crowns the complex "Look Into Her Eyes", in which it almost blue rock goes with George Johnson on the electrical to the point. "That's What She Said" scores in the linking of the same rock and funk with two current guitarists (Daryl Stuermer and Byron Miller). The most daring trip but there is the stomping "Rockinrowl, I Do not Know" with Star guitarist Lee Ritenour. Of course the Duke-typical, dreamy instrumentals remain not spared, such as "Sister Siren" occupied. With "Mashavu" is woven an almost animistic Soundscape, and "Giant Child Within Us - Ego" is a small fusion suite in itself, spanning the spectrum from classical to zappesken finals. The recordings, whose title track is actually designed as a pure blues away markedly from the musical language of the predecessor - no longer the "synthesizer castles" settle in the center, but the song of Groove, the Rock - and Blues.


"Liberated Fantasies" (1976) 
The final album of the MPS box continues George Dukes tendency to pair its merger with accessible world R & B songs. He is especially vocally again an audible Development: In "Tryin 'And Cryin'" the Californians sets with rock singer Napoleon Brock on several vocal tracks in scene. A shovel soulful enamel he puts it in "Seeing You" to "What The ..." even breathe out a frivolous encouragement. As funny gem comes "Back To Where We Never Left" Therefore, in the Duke's fleet of synthesizers brings to Groove unified force, while "I C'n Hear That" the sound colors shows the dialog with an extremely agile bass. In the final corner the "liberated fantasies" lead in Brazilian sonority. "After The Love" painted in light and sweet tones an erotic tropical Stimmng while the epic, almost ten-minute title track with hitzigem Samba flair all band members to light up: the Rhythmsusektion with "Ndugu" Al Johnson and Airto Moreira percussion arsenal, Daryl Stuermer with rock interludes on guitar and Duke himself with inspired virtuosity on various synths and keys.

 

Volume 1 - ActionVolume 2 - Girl Talk

Volume 3 - The Way I Really PlayVolume 4 - I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry

Volume 5 - The Aura Will PrevailVolume 6 - Liberated Fantasies

 

Browse this category: JAZZ