2013 · Album
DreamWeaver
Recorded 2013 at Le Gonks West, Los Angeles, California · Big Piano Music and Heads Up International · Produced by George Duke
A Final Gift from a Life Well Lived
DreamWeaver arrives as George Duke's goodbye—unhurried, generous, and entirely at peace.
DreamWeaver is George Duke's last statement, and it arrives without urgency or desperation. By the time he made this record, Duke had already done everything: session work across decades, his own fusion landmarks, collaborations that mattered. This is not a man proving anything. The album was recorded at Le Gonks West in Los Angeles and released in July 2013, dedicated to Corine Duke, who passed two years earlier. That grief hovers over the sessions without dominating them—there's sadness here, but also acceptance.
The band is stacked with names that matter in contemporary jazz. Stanley Clarke on double bass brings weight; Paul Jackson, Jr. and Jef Lee Johnson handle the guitar work with enough texture to keep things moving without clutter. Everette Harp on alto and Kamasi Washington on tenor saxophone handle the front line, supported by Gary Grant on trumpet and Dan Higgins on flute. It's a lineup that could have easily tilted toward fusion excess, but Duke steers toward something more measured—keyboardist's wisdom, maybe, the understanding that space matters as much as notes. All About Jazz heard this and gave it four stars, recognizing work that's lived-in rather than showy.
For Duke listeners, this is neither a peak nor a departure—it's a coda. Not every album needs to change music or stake a claim. Sometimes the strongest move is simply to sit down with musicians you trust and make something honest. That's what happened here.
Who's playing
Stanley Clarkedouble bass
Larry Kimpelbass
Paul Jackson, Jr.guitar
Jef Lee Johnsonguitar
Everette Harpalto saxophone
Kamasi Washingtontenor saxophone
Gary Granttrumpet
Michael “Patches” Stewarttrumpet
Dan Higginsflute
George Dukesynthesizer
Gorden Campbelldrums
Where next?
More by George Duke
All 29 albums →
The musicians on this record
School Days 1976
Stanley Clarke
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
The Epic 2015
Kamasi Washington
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
