About

- A TAV Essential Listening Album -

Whether as a sideman for Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson, or as the bandleader for Nina Simone, the gifted Weldon Irvine was always proven to be one of the most vital jazz musicians America has ever produced. But his finest works were his brilliant solo endeavours in the 1970s, which cemented Irvine as one of jazz-funk’s principal protagonists. 

Most notably, his 1973 LP Time Capsule, released under his own label Nodlew Music, was Irvine’s proudest achievement. As the composer, arranger, lyricist, vocalist, pianist and organist for Time Capsule - Irvine applied his considerable multidisciplinary talents to craft a sonic diary documenting the political and social currents of the era. With assistance from his sublime ensemble, Irvine’s blend of soul, jazz, funk and spoken word was as sensational as it was searing. - The Analog Vault

The sublime Time Capsule remains Weldon Irvine's most fully realized and influential recording. Assembled as a kind of musical scrapbook documenting the thought patterns and belief systems of the early '70s, it nevertheless boasts a surprising vitality and timelessness thanks to luminous funk grooves that anticipate the latter-day emergence of acid jazz. Irvine also rhymes over several tracks, further cementing his influence on successive generations of hip-hop.

A profoundly righteous spirituality winds through all eight of Time Capsule's performances, assaying both the affection ("Soul Sisters") and anger ("Watergate") vying for control of post-Woodstock America. Irvine's searing keyboard and piano playing further capture the moment in question, deftly balancing between beatitude and bitterness. -  Jason Ankeny // AllMusic

Label: Nodlew Music // P-Vine Records
Format: LP, Album, Reissue
Reissued: 2023 (Originally Released: 1973)
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz-Funk, Fusion, Soul-Jazz, Vocals