Weldon Jonathan Irvine Jr. (October 27, 1943 – April 9, 2002), also known as Master Wel,[1] was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist, organist, and keyboardist.
[1] He served as the bandleader for jazz singer Nina Simone and was a mentor to many New York hip-hop artists, including Q-Tip and Mos Def.
[5] Irvine's last major project was The Price of Freedom (1999), a compilation of original songs by hip-hop, jazz, funk, and R&B artists to respond to the shooting of Amadou Diallo.
[2] In 2000, Irvine provided the vocal introductions to tracks on the first CD of the album Late Night Blues[6] by UK Drum & Bass producer Big Bud.
He later performed vocals, Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ on the track "Amigo Mio" (also by Big Bud), which appeared on the compilation Earth Volume 5.