The George Duke Quartet - Jazz Workshop 1966 (2014/2015) [Official Digital Download]

Just barely 20 at the time, pianist George Duke made his recording debut with a straight-ahead quartet also including the obscure bass trumpeter David Simmons, bassist John Heard and drummer George Walker. This was one of Duke's very few all-standards sets, and he proved to be a fine hard bop/soul-jazz pianist; unfortunately, that phase would not last long. Highlights include "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", "Jeannine" and "Secret Love." But by the time the pianist recorded his second date as a leader three years later, this particular George Duke would be history.

George Duke:
This was my first album. It came about as a result of playing at The Jazz Workshop, the then famous jazz club in San Francisco. It went on to become a strip joint. (Well they always said that jazz was brothel music). I was playing on a Monday Night (the off night for Les McCann who had played all the week before). Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, the owner of SABA Records, Baldhard G. Falk and another person came to see Les, and decided to stay and see me upon learning that Monday was Les's night off. I didn't know who they were, so I was kinda loose and having a lot of fun. Besides, the house was light.

The year was 1966. At that time I was studying at The San Francisco Conservatory Of Music. They approached me at the break and asked me if I'd like to record an album. Needless to say, I was in a state of shock. Baldhard asked me to give him a call at his office. As fate would have it, I made an appointment, went to see him, and signed an agreement to record one LP for SABA records. Without a doubt this is the worst record I've ever made. I was quite nervous and had been studying John Coltrane. For some reason I thought all I had to do was play the head of a tune real nice and then proceed to rattle off myriads of notes at high velocity. This did not make for a pleasing result, but it was all I knew. Actually I have tapes that predate this LP that are far superior, because I was relaxed and not in a studio environment. The record took six hours to record. We did three tunes a day in three hours. On the record was a young bass player named John Heard (I grabbed him after he left John Hendricks) whom I worked with for many years.

Tracklist:

01 - The Second Time Around
02 - The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
03 - Days of Wine and Roses
04 - Jeannine
05 - Little Girl Blue
06 - Secret Love

Produced Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at Golden Gate Studio San Francisco, January 1966.
Digitally Remastered.

Musicians:
George M. Duke - piano
David L. Simmons - trumpet
John W. Heard - bass
George R. Walker - drums


Thanks to the Original customer!