''Déjà Vu'' is a studio album by American keyboardist

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

released in 2010 on Heads Up International. The album reached No. 9 on the ''

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chart and No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

Overview

''Déjà Vu'' was produced by George Duke. Artists such as

Oscar Brashear Oscar Brashear (August 18, 1944 – July 7, 2023) was an American jazz trumpeter and session musician from Chicago, Illinois. After studying at DuSable High School and Wright Jr. College (currently known as Wilbur Wright College) under John DeR ...

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American Jazz fusion, fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. In addition to being a recording artist in his own right, Jackson is also a session player, with a career ...

, and

Everette Harp Everette Harp (born August 17, 1961, in Houston, Texas) is an American jazz saxophonist who has recorded for Blue Note, Capitol and Shanachie Records. His album ''Jazz Funk Soul'', a collaboration with Chuck Loeb and Jeff Lorber, received his ...

appear on the album.

Critical reception

Steve Jones of

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praised the album saying, "More than 30 years ago, pianist George Duke was getting us all funked up with tracks like "Dukey Stick" and "Reach For It." On his new "Deja Vu," he revisits the synthesized soul/jazz fusion days of the '70s. It covers the same sonic territory as 2008's " Dukey Treats," though this time around there is a bit more jazz to balance the funk...Duke wisely gives the music a contemporary twist, so that this is more than a just a wistful trip down memory lane." Simon Broughton of the

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

favourably found "A HEAVYWEIGHT improviser yet funky enough for any dance-club crowd, George Duke touches hearts, minds and feet wherever he performs. The latest studio offering by this crowd-pleasing Californian keyboarder gives his soulful originals (Bring Me Joy, Oh Really?) a typically warm ambience." With a 4/5 star rating Thom Jurek of

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declared "''Déjà Vu'' revisits Duke's love of electric funky jazz. Here he recalls some of the production and musical techniques he employed in the '70s. Along with playing a load of synths (mono and analog), Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, clavinet, acoustic piano, and even miniMoog bass are in abundance, too. The production is pure retro; compared to the contemporary jazz recordings of the 21st century, Déjà Vu sounds almost organic. Duke composed, produced, and arranged the set as well." Brian Soergel of

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

scribed "Keyboardist-composer-producer George Duke has tuned his funky-dukey-stick shtick down a notch with ''Déjà Vu'', which follows the intense energy of 2008’s Dukey Treats. This one’s for Duke’s R&B fans and those who like their contemporary jazz served with heft and verve." Nate Chinen of the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

remarked "Haven't we been here before? Deja Vu, the new album by the pianist-composer-producer

, answers that question in the affirmative. Proudly slick, it's a throwback to sounds of Mr. Duke's early career, in the 1970s, funk, fusion, StevieWonderish soul and the milder stirrings of Mario Tarradell of then nascent smooth jazz." Mario Tarradell of the

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

noted "George Duke's sterling reputation in R&B, jazz and fusions thereof is firmly cemented. He could easily rest on his laurels...It's even more impressive that he keeps going, turning in another slamming paean to retro funk, R&B, jazz and Latin grooves on Déjà Vu." Jonathan Takiff of the

Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...

scribed "Seasoned keyboardist/singer George Duke lives up to the billing of his new album called "Deja Vu" (Heads Up, B) with a flashback of fusion crossover styles."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums George Duke albums Albums produced by George Duke Heads Up International albums