The title says it all.

RIParadise Brotha..

Well shoot.  I really did admire George.  A sweet guy with an immense talent.

used to play a bunch of george duke tunes with a band..
 
and of course, FZ, Ponty, Cobham, stanley clarke, alphonze mouzon, flora purim, man, what a line up!
 
 
rip GD

Ahh man that is such sad news....I was a fan of the Zappa album One Size Fits All at the age of three and have listened to that album regularly ever since and considered Duke's playing to be one of the best things about it. Think I might go and fire up Kontakt and put something together with George Duke's Soul Treasures....I was playing with it a few nights ago and realized that the samples are freaking awesome and way more flexible than I'd originally given them credit for. 
 
Anyway here's a classic vid of him playing with Stanley Clarke....
 

RIP George.  

sharke
...I was a fan of the Zappa album One Size Fits All at the age of three and have listened to that album regularly ever since and considered Duke's playing to be one of the best things about it
 

Whoa!  That's pretty heavy-duty stuff for a three year old.
 
One Size Fits All is, to me, one of Zappa's two most musically sophisticated albums (the other being Burnt Weenie Sandwich ... just MHO).  I listened to it again last night, paying particular attention to the KB.  Man, I don't think I ever appreciated what a virtuoso Mr. Duke could be (the lady playing xylophone on that album was no slouch either!).  I'm only now starting to realize what an extraordinarily versatile fellow he was.

Wow just saw him at NAMM (in the MIDI Symposium).
 
I also saw him perform with Stanley Clarke in San Diego about three years ago.
 
RIP George.

dmbaer

sharke...I was a fan of the Zappa album One Size Fits All at the age of three and have listened to that album regularly ever since and considered Duke's playing to be one of the best things about it 

Whoa!  That's pretty heavy-duty stuff for a three year old. One Size Fits All is, to me, one of Zappa's two most musically sophisticated albums (the other being Burnt Weenie Sandwich ... just MHO).  I listened to it again last night, paying particular attention to the KB.  Man, I don't think I ever appreciated what a virtuoso Mr. Duke could be (the lady playing xylophone on that album was no slouch either!).  I'm only now starting to realize what an extraordinarily versatile fellow he was.

Ruth Underwood was the xylophone player. I've seen videos on YouTube of her playing with Zappa, she is insanely good.

Yeah Zappa is probably heavy for a 3 year old, but that's what was playing in our house all the time. Plus Steely Dan, Little Feat and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I've always gravitated toward colorful harmony as a result.

Hi,
 
Sad to see him go ... time to put on some Frank Zappa and some Stanley Clarke!