In a lot of ways, the song being presented here today represents the passing of two great and different artists whom I admire. That was the actor Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek,who passed last year and the jazz pianist George Duke-who left us four years ago this coming august. It was about a dozen years ago now that I became very immersed in all things related to George Duke. This was thanks in part to my acquaintanceship with DJ/musician/Duke aficionado Nigel Hall. This led me to George Duke Online. It was on this site that George actually reviewed his own discography. This allowed people such as myself to get inside the man’s views on his own musical past.
In the early/mid 70’s during his tenure with Frank Zappa, Duke signed a solo deal with the German jazz label MPS. When he departed the label to sign with CBS/Epic in 1976, he recorded what amounted to a solo piano album where, with the help of Genesis drummer Chester Thompson, Duke played other instruments as well. It was released in America in a slightly altered form in 1982. But throughout most of Europe in 1978 as the now quite rare record entitled The Dream. The song I’m going to talk to you about today is one whose sound and title were originally quite different from the early 80’s variation. The name of the original song was “Spock Does The Bump At The Space Disco”.
Duke starts off the song with a lone funky drum-accented by a percussive bump on between the first and second beat. Starting with some of his own grunts and groans, Duke’s low piano than comes in playing the songs bluesy theme along with a distant, popping bass ARP synthesizer in the back round. A huge,deeply popping slap bass chimes in along with another theremin like synthesizer solo pipes up in the back round. Duke’s Fender Rhodes electric piano than comes in playing an accessory solo. By which time all the instrumentation that built up from the beginning of song all comes together beautifully before the song ends on a three note slap bass riff.
George Duke was the man behind some of the most potent and experienced funk that the jazz world had to offer from the early 70’s up until his death. And in every possible way? This song is among his very funkiest. It falls somewhere between the stripped down funk of Rufus and Prince. The one man band that is George Duke on this album does something fairly unique. Though multi tracked in creation? This groove showcases Duke’s experience as both a session player and band leader by being able to play off his own instrumental strengths and weakness. It does in fact sound like a band playing together-with the pianos and synthesizers creating a thick bed of funk one can always swim deeply within.
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