Weldon Irvine
Weldon Jonathan Irvine, Jr. (born October 27, 1943 in Hampton (Virginia) , † April 9, 2002 in New York ) was an American jazz pianist , composer and organist who was also known under the stage name Master Wel . He became known with the song To Be Young, Gifted and Black , sung by Nina Simone for the first time , which became the anthem of the American civil rights movement in the late 1960s.
biography
Weldon Irvine studied literature at Hampton University . As a composer, pianist and organist, he was active in various genres, jazz-funk, jazz , hip-hop , funk , rhythm and blues and gospel . In 1965 he went to New York City and played in the big band of Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson . A year later he began working with Nina Simone as band leader , arranger and road manager, who became a well-known figure in the US civil rights movement on behalf of other African Americans through her interpretation of his song To Be Young, Gifted and Black . After they saw the performance of the piece To Be Young, Gifted and Black by Lorraine Hansberrys together , Irvine wrote this song, which bore the title of the piece and was later also used by well-known musicians such as B. Stevie Wonder , Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway has been covered. Irvine and Simone wrote some songs together that should make Nina Simone known.
In the 1960s he took part in recording sessions (including with Freddie Hubbard ), played in clubs and festivals and wrote numerous songs. His skills as a musician and lyricist have taken him into almost every genre of African American music throughout his career . The over 500 compositions, many of which were recorded on phonograms, also include a series of concerts and musicals that he has staged. He worked with jazz musicians such as Miles Davis , Stanley Turrentine , Charles Earland , Groove Holmes , Lenny White , Bill Jacobs, as well as Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, who interpreted the song To Be Young, Gifted and Black that made Irvine so famous.
In 1977 he was able to celebrate the premiere of his first blockbuster musical Young, Gifted and Broke at the Billie Holiday Theater in Brooklyn . The musical played for 8 months and won 4 Audelco Awards. It was the beginning of a decade-long relationship between Irvine and the Billie Holiday Theater , where he produced other musical dramas for over 20 years. In the emerging hip-hop culture he was known as Master Wel and was considered a role model and mentor for many artists of the time, including Mos Def , Talib , Q-Tip , Ice Cube , Grandmaster Flash and many more who were part of his soul jazz -Funk music from the 60s and 70s incorporated into their music.
At the beginning of the 21st century, he produced and funded the Amadou Project, an album in memory of Amadou Diallo , who was murdered in 1999 and who was 41 gunshot dead by four white New York City police officers. For this album, Irvine gathered poets and hip-hop artists who shared his indignation. The album was awarded "The Price Of Freedom".
At the age of 58 years Weldon Irvine committed suicide .
Discography (selection)
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Web links
- http://soul-sides.com/2005/05/weldons-way.html
- http://www.okara.com/html/irvine_profile.html
- Weldon Irvine in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Weldon Irvine at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c biography on http://www.allmusic.com/
- ↑ Discography on discogs.com
- ↑ a b biography on http://www.nathanielturner.com/
- ↑ In the field of jazz he was involved in 21 recording sessions between 1964 and 1996, cf. Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed November 21, 2014)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Irvine, Weldon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Irvine, Weldon Jonathan junior (full name); Master Wel (stage name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist, composer and organist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 27, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hampton (Virginia) |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 9, 2002 |
| Place of death | new York |