Pieces of a Man is the debut studio album of American recording artist Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1971 in stereo format on Flying Dutchman Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at RCA Studios in New York City on April 19 and 20 in 1971. The album serves as the follow-up to Scott-Heron"s live debut album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), and it features compositions by Scott-Heron that were recorded in a more conventional song structure rather than the spoken word style of his previous work.The album marked the first of several future collaborations by Scott-Heron with musician Brian Jackson. It is one of Scott-Heron"s most critically acclaimed albums and one of the Flying Dutchman label"s best-selling LP"s. Earning modest success upon its release, Pieces of a Man has since received retrospective notice and praise from critics. Music writers have noted Scott-Heron"s and Jackson"s musical fusion of soul, jazz-funk, and proto-rap styles on the album and its influence on subsequent dance and hip hop music.