''Spirits'' is the 1994 album by Gil Scott-Heron. The title track is an interpretation of the

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

piece Equinox, and "The Other Side" is a live version of Scott-Heron's 1971 track "Home is Where the Hatred Is" with a new arrangement and many new verses that expand the original to nearly twenty minutes. It was later sampled for "Home" on the 2011 Jamie XX collaboration album, '' We're New Here''. In the liner notes, Scott-Heron discusses the new, jazzier tone of the record, and the attempts to define his sound:

''What do you call reggae, blues, African vibration, jazz, salsa, chants and poetry?... Seriously trying to define it, I've said it's Black music. Or Black American music. Because Black Americans are now a tremendously diverse essence of all the places we've come from and the music and rhythms we brought with us.''

This was Scott-Heron's first album in twelve years, and it would be sixteen more years before he would release another. "Lady's Song" and "Work for Peace" were omitted from the vinyl issue, while other songs were edited slightly for runtime.

Track listing

All lyrics and music composed by Gil Scott-Heron; except where indicated

CD

#"Message to the Messengers" (4:57) #"Spirits" (

) (7:49) #"Give Her a Call" (5:44) #"Lady's Song" (3:14) #"Spirits Past" (music: Brian Jackson) (3:00) #"The Other Side, Part I" (5:25) #"The Other Side, Part II" (6:11) #"The Other Side, Part III" (6:40) #"Work for Peace" (7:33) #"Don't Give Up" (music:

Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...

) (5:58)

LP

#"Message to the Messengers" #"Spirits" #"Give Her a Call" #"Spirits Past" #"The Other Side" (Parts I-III) #"Don't Give Up"

Personnel

*Gil Scott-Heron - vocals, piano *Ed Brady - guitar *Fima Ephron, Robbie Gordon - bass guitar *

Malcolm Cecil Malcolm Cecil (9 January 193728 March 2021) was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer and electronic musician. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers,

- bass guitar, piano * Brian Jackson, Kim Jordan, Vernard Dickson - piano *Rodney Youngs - drums *

Larry McDonald Lawrence Patton McDonald (April 1, 1935 – September 1, 1983) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Democrat from 1975 until he was killed ...

, Tony Duncanson - percussion *Leon William,

Ron Holloway Ronald Edward Holloway (born August 24, 1953) is an American tenor saxophonist. He is listed in the ''Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' where veteran jazz critic Ira Gitler described Holloway as a "Hard bear-down-hard-bopper who can blow auth ...

- saxophone *Ibrahim Shakur - flute

References

{{Authority control Gil Scott-Heron albums 1994 albums Albums produced by Malcolm Cecil