Grammy award winning George Duke is a keyboardist, producer, arranger, and composer. Like many other artists, he began playing in his church. His love for piano began after he saw Duke Ellington in concert when he was very young. Over the years, George Duke has clearly established himself as “one of the best.” His legendary career will forever have a place in music history. George is set to release his latest CD “DreamWeaver” July 16th. He made the album after the passing of his wife, Corine. He collaborated with a wide variety of vocalists on this project with backgrounds in different genres of music. I’m looking forward to the song he recorded with the late Teena Marie before she passed.

Aside from the new album I’m sure we’re all looking forward to, I have discovered that George and I have a couple of things in common. Most obvious, of course, is music. However, the common thread that fascinates me is our admiration for Jean Luc Ponty, a violinist. Somewhere between 1967 and 1969 (around the time I was born), George heard one of Jean Luc Ponty’s records. He knew immediately that he had to work with him. Fortunately for George, Jean Luc came to California to record, and the connection was made. They worked together until 1976. As for me, I discovered the violinist as a freshman in college and have been a huge fan every since. Matter of fact, I still have many of his cassette tapes that I can’t part with because they represent countless hours of listening and analyzing his music, as well as priceless memories. I guess it’s true what they say: “great minds think alike.” If you want to learn more about Jean Luc Ponty, visit http://www.ponty.com.