George Duke - The Aura Will Prevail (MPS AAA Series)

The Aura Will Prevail again mirrors how far George Duke had moved away from being traditional jazz musician and towards a master of fusion, eager to experiment. Duke designed stunning scenarios in sound, which once more reveals him to be one of the synthesizer pioneers. He is joined by Santana drummer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler, bassist Alphonso “Slim” Johnson, and the Brazilian percussion magician Airto Moriera on this 1975 album.

On “Dawn” George Duke paints a fanciful daybreak atmosphere on the keyboards. On “Floop De Loop” he releases funky rushing rivulets from the keyboards. Whereas on the smooth rock piece “For Love” and soft ballad “Fools”, he appears on the scene as a soulful singer. There’s something slightly naughty coursing through the bluesy, laid-back funk miniature, “Foosh”. Duke’s former collaboration with the Mothers of Invention colored his versions of Zappa’s “Echidna's Arf” and “Uncle Remus”. There’s a samba touch in the relaxed tropical magic of “Malibu”, and the outro “The Aura” also swings to a Latin feel.

Heavyweight audiophile vinyl produced by MPS Records in 2021 for their 'Reforest The Legend MPS AAA Series'. Remastered from the original analog tapes by Christoph Stickel and Dirk Sommer. Pressed at Optimal Media in Germany. Includes photo insert of the original master tape box.

MPS Records was a German jazz record company founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer. MPS stands for "Musik Produktion Schwarzwald".