Spirit Man is a 1975 album by jazz keyboardist, Weldon Irvine.
Reception The AllMusic review by Jason Ankeny awarded the album 4 stars stating: Spirit Man channels the sonic sprawl of the preceding Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine) to forge a tighter, more focused approach. Eschewing vocals altogether, it's Weldon Irvine's most balanced and complete recording, deftly combining massive funk grooves with ingenious electronic elements. Featuring a supporting cast including bassist Cleveland Freeman, trumpeters Charles Sullivan and Everett "Blood" Hollins, and saxophonist Sonny Fortune, Spirit Man parallels Herbie Hancock's groundbreaking fusion dates in both the imagination and ferocity of Irvine's keyboards as well as the extraterrestrial reach of its electronic effects. This music is deep, funky, and deeply funky.
Track listings All songs written by Weldon Irvine.
"We Gettin' Down" 5:50 "Softly" 0:37 "Pogo Stick" 6:45 "Blast Off" 4:17 "Jungle Juice" 8:10 "Yasmin" 4:37 "The Power and the Glory" 5:44 "Softly" 1:26
Personnel Weldon Irvine - Conductor, Piano, Electric Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer Cleveland Freeman - Electric Bass Wesley "Gator" Watson - Drums Henry Grate, Jr. - Guitar Bud Johnson, Jr. - Congas, Bongos Charles Sullivan, Everett "Blood" Hollins - Trumpet Sonny Fortune - Alto Saxophone Floyd Butler, Harry Elston - Background Vocals on "We Gettin' Down" Acy Lehman - art direction David B. Hecht - photography
Samples & Covers A Tribe Called Quest sampled "We Gettin' Down" on their song, "Award Tour" on their album Midnight MaraudersWhoSampled.com, accessed April 18, 2013. in 1993.
References
External links Weldon Irvine-Spirit Man at Discogs