George Duke, active through the late 1960s until his death in August 2013, was a keyboardist, composer, arranger, producer, and band leader crucial in the progression of fusion, arising from the 1970s West Coast fusion movement. His recordings include those with Cannonball Adderley, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, and Frank Zappa. As a result of playing in Zappa’s backing band The Mothers of Invention for much of the ’70s, as well as touring with East Coast fusion couterpart acts Miles Davis, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, and the Weather Report, Duke‘s solo work during this time evolved to incorporate elements of funk-rock, R&B, Latin-funk, and comedy. After leaving The Mothers of Invention in 1979, Duke continued to break barriers in jazz music, working closely with Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham, as well venturing into production work much through ’00s. George Dukeremains a force in fusion music, with his work continuing to be celebrated in samples used by the likes of Daft Punk, Kanye West, MF Doom, and Thundercat.