Keno Duke
Keno Duke (August 24, 1927) was a drummer and composer known for his work on the 1975 album Contemporaries: Crest of the Wave on Trident Records. While information about him is limited, he was recognized for his drumming and his songwriting ability, a notable strength for a drummer. His band, Contemporaries, also released material under the Trident label.
Active in the 1970s: Duke was a drummer known for his work in the mid-1970s, particularly with the group “Jazz Contemporaries”.
Discography: He released several albums on independent jazz labels, including Sense of Values on Strata-East Records in 1974 and Crest Of The Wave on Trident Records in 1975.
Disappearance: After the mid-1970s, Duke seems to have left the music industry, with little to no public information available about his later life.
Sustained rhythmic momentum was never a problem for Keno Duke’s jazz quintet, Contemporaries, throughout its concert Friday evening at Cami Hall. But the group’s repertory was divided between selections that were brimming with imagination, color and solo excitement and a few that were, in contrast, surprisingly routine and unimaginative.
Man for man, the group is exceptionally strong. It has two outstanding and contrasting saxophonists—George Coleman, a tenor saxophonist who is a solid, consistent follower of the John Coltrane style, and Frank Strozier, an altoist whose clean, precisely shaped notes and flowing phrases sound like a nineteen‐seventies Jimmy Dorsey. Harold Mabern has long been a pianist with a startling manner of overwhelming the piano in his solos and providing unusually strong background for other soloists, here astutey complemented by Lisle Atkinson on bass and Mr. Duke on drums.
When their talents were applied to the fresh, provocative lines and harmonies of such pieces as Mr. Duke’s “Little D” or Mr. Mabern’s “Too Late, Fall Back Baby,” they produced jazz that sparkled with vitality and gave Mr. Mabern and Mr. Strozier stimulating showcases for their solo talents. These performances maintained so high and distinctive a level that one felt let down when contemporaries occasionally settled for what would be quite adequate from most other groups.