George Duke - Master of the Game (LP 1979 Epic)(CD 2014 Epic-Japan) Jazz/Funk/Soul (FLAC)

My wife up till 1982 was a staunch Soul Girl, and dance wise was addicted to backbone northern, the stompers i.e. on the fast 4 x 4 beat (which most of us enjoy) up to and until i dragged her along to a gig in Birmingham to see George Duke (Keyboards master) and Stanley Clarke (Bass master) promising her she would never think the same again about black music. She relunctantly came along to keep me happy...but i knew after seeing these 2 Legends live she would be musically awakened, we even had a bet about it....guess who won hands down ?...lol.. Those guys didnt just blow the roof off the place with an unforgetable performance, they blew away the musical barriers from the wife,s head...she came out of there and said & i quote "what the hell was that ! & what have i been missing all these years ?"...i didnt rub salt into the wound i just gave her the look that said it all...she said " now i understand why you enjoy jazz fusion..it was like she was reborn musically...No pressure from me but she knows now & understands their is so much more to black music........Although George Duke first made his mark as a jazz instrumentalist, with late 1970s classics like iconic albums "Reach for It", "Don't Let Go", and "Follow the Rainbow" made it clear that he could also be an expressive R&B singer. But he didn't want to handle all of the lead vocals himself, so during that period, his role was that of a producer/keyboardist/songwriter and general musical genius who was more than happy to share the lead vocals with Lynn Davis, Josie James, and others. Davis enjoyed a lot of exposure on R&B stations when, in 1979, Duke featured her on "I Want You for Myself," the haunting single that made Master of the Game one of his best-selling albums. Her charismatic performance makes the listener wonder why she never had a solo career ? the talent was certainly there. This album contains a few jazz fusion instrumentals (including the Latin-flavored "Dog-Man"), but it's an R&B release first and foremost  and those who like Duke as an R&B artist will find this album to be enjoyable, if less than essential. "I Want You for Myself" and the mellow, Stylistics influenced "Every Little Step I Take" are gems,  On the whole, this album isn't in a class with Reach for It, Don't Let Go, or Follow the Rainbow, which are arguably his most essential R&B-oriented albums. But it has more pluses than minuses and is worth having in your collection if you're a serious fans of Duke's late 1970s/early 1980s output. To me the man is a legend sadly no longer with us. His legacy of 41 albums speaks for itself with over 30 million in sales worldwide. You can read more about this legend right over here!

AMM

                                                                      The Tasters!

 

Line Up

George Duke (Vocals, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes, Yamaha Accoustic & Electric Grand, Wurlitzer], Clavinet [Hohner Clavinet D-6], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Mini Moog, Oberheim, Prophet V, Crumar, Arp String Ens.], Bells [Orchestra])  Byron Miller (Bass)
Ricky Lawson (Drums)
Gary Herbig (Saxophone (Alto,Tenor),Flute (Flute, Piccolo)
David Myles (Sitar,Guitar String Accoustic,Electric)
Bill Reichenbach (Trombone,Bass)
Jerry Hey (Trumpet,Flugelhorn)
Josie James, Lynn Davis, Napoleon Brock (Vocals).