Roy Edward Ayers, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, CA on
September 10, 1940. He comes by his affinity with
music naturally, as his mother Ruby Ayers was a
schoolteacher and local piano instructor and his father
Roy Sr., a sometimes-parking attendant and
trombonist. As it often happens in a household filled
with the love and the appreciation for music, Roy began
to demonstrate his musical aptitude by the tender age
of five, by which time he was playing boogie woogie
tunes on the piano. He turned to the steel guitar by the
age of nine, had stints during his teens playing flute,
trumpet and drums before embracing the vibes as his
instrument of choice.
Perhaps Roy’s karmic destiny as a vibraphonist was
influenced by his parents’ decision to allow him to
attend a concert featuring the great Lionel Hampton’s
Big Band. During “Hamps” customary stroll down the
aisle to thank his audience for attending, he noticed an
ecstatic five-year-old boy. So impressed was “Hamp”
by the childs ebullience he walked over and presented
young Roy Ayers Jr. with the gift of a lifetime- a pair of
vibe mallets. During Roy’s adolescence, although his
parent’s required that his schoolwork remain his
primary focus, his mother managed to fit in piano
lessons, which served to enhance his public school
education. In addition to Roy’s involvement with various
instruments, he also sang in the church choir. Then, at
seventeen years of age his parents presented him with
a set of vibes and the rest, as they say, is history.
Roy began at first to study independently, then
eventually discovered that Bobby Hutcherson, a rising
vibraphonist, lived in his neighborhood, and
subsequently he began to work under Bobby’s tutelage.
Their relationship as friends and musicians
blossomed, with regular meetings between the two to
collaborate and practice. During this period, Roy went
on to form the very first group of which he was the
leader, while a student of harmony at Jefferson High
School. Appropriately enough, he first named the group
the Jefferson Combo, later re-naming the group the
Latin Lyrics. After graduation from Jefferson High, Roy
attended Los Angeles City College where he studied
advanced music theory.
By 1961 Roy had become a well-rounded, full-fledged
professional musician, and as is customary in
nurturing African-American households, at twenty-one
the keys to the door. As the adage goes, if you are
blessed, when one door closes another door opens.
Fortunately for Roy, he had just begun to receive his
musical blessings, as early in his career, he
collaborated and performed with the likes of Chico
Hamilton, Teddy Edwards, Jack Wilson, Phineas
Newborn, and Gerald Wilson. Shortly thereafter, Roy
made his recording debut with Curtis Amy, a highly
regarded saxophonist, with whom he recorded “Way
Down” and “Tippin’ on Through”. In 1962 he was
afforded the opportunity to appear before the biggest
audience of his young career…at the Las Vegas Jazz
Festival.
Roy, now evolving into a composer and arranger as
well as a greatly sought after performer, met and
developed a relationship with one of the jazz world’s
leading authors and producers, the noted Leonard
Feather. His alliance with Feather led to Roy’s first
recording contract with none other than United Artists,
one of the leading record labels of the day. His debut
album “West Coast Vibes” was produced by Leonard
Feather and featured an impressive array of talent: Roy
Ayers on vibes, Curtis Amy, tenor saxophone; Jack
Wilson, piano; Bill Plummer, bass; Victor Gaskin, bass;
Kenny Dennis and Tony Bazley on drums. The album
received high accolades in the jazz world.
The “Roy Ayers sound” was gaining in
popularity…bookings throughout the United States, as
well as noted musicians who sought out Roy Ayers to
collaborate on their own projects, as well as his own
soon became the norm. One of the musicians who
reached out to Roy during this period was none other
than famed jazz flutist Herbie Mann. Herbie needed an
immediate replacement for a gig at the Lighthouse
Club in Los Angeles. Roy made the gig, the crowd
went wild, and a new musical alliance was
formed…the Roy Ayers-Herbie Mann collaboration
lasted for four years, with Roy touring with Herbies
band and recording several albums under his own
name, produced by Herbie Mann for Atlantic Records.
The next three years brought the release of “Virgo
Vibes” (1967) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (1968)
arranged by Charles Tolliver, and “Daddy Bug” (1969)
arranged by William Fisher, all critical and commercial
successes.
The 1970’s found Roy embarking upon a long and
fruitful relationship with Polydor Records, where Roy,
committed to the search for and exploration of new
musical concepts began to incorporate “wah wah” and
“fuzz” tones on his vibes. It was during this period he
formed the group Ubiquity. The term Ubiquity (from the
Latin) means the state or capacity of being, or seeming
to be, everywhere at the same time. Roy Ayers
obviously took his group’s name to heart for the Roy
Ayers sound was virtually omnipresent. As musical
genres changed in scope and definition, rhythm and
blues, jazz, rock n’ roll, pop and disco each fought for a
niche with the public and the major record labels.
Meanwhile, a new sound was slowly emerging…the
American audiences referred to it as fusion, the British
called it jazz-funk. Regardless of its moniker, Roy
Ayers became the undisputed champion of a sound
that seemed to draw from his jazz, rhythm and blues,
Latin, funk and dance music roots. For the next ten
years, Roy Ayers produced what many regard as some
of his finest works. The mere mention of certain song
titles…”Virgo Red”, “Change Up the Groove”, “Mystic
Voyage”, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”, “Vibrations”,
“You Send Me”, “Lifeline”, “Fever”, and the list goes on
and on, evoke fond memories for fans ranging in age
from their twenties through their seventies. It is rare
when an artist is able to speak to, grasp and hold the
attention of so wide a demographic, for so long a
period of time.
1973 brought the opportunity to produce and record the
soundtrack for a now legendary film of what was then
known as the “black exploitation” genre, titled “Coffy,
starring Pam Grier. The soundtrack and film were
immensely successful, perhaps in no small part due to
the caliber of writing, producing, and Roy’s
incorporation of the musical talents of the likes of
vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and Harry Whitaker on
piano. In 1977 Polydor Records released the “Lifeline”
album that contained the mega-hit “Running Away”.
Undeniably, to this day, “Running Away” receives strong
radio airplay, is a jazz-funk anthem in dance clubs
worldwide, and causes a party to break out whenever
and wherever it is played. In fact “Running Away” was
included in the soundtrack for the Spike Lee film
“Summer of Sam” released in the year 2000, marking
the beginning of its third decade of delivering the Roy
Ayers groove to audiences across the globe.
His popularity growing exponentially, Roy Ayers’ name
is now a household name everywhere, particularly in
the United States in England. In fact, “Get On Up, Get
On Down”, “Heat of the Beat”, and “Don’t Stop the
Feeling” reached the British record charts at 41, 43 and
56 respectively, reaching notoriety the hard way…not
through heavy radio airplay, but by winning over fans
through the dance club circuit, which in itself is another
musical phenomenon. Other landmark events of this
era included Roy’s hugely successful tour of Africa in
1979 that resulted in the Polydor Records release of
“Africa, Center of the World”. In 1983 Roy Ayers formed
his own record label, Uno Melodic, offering “Lots of
Love” as its first release. This album produced several
outstanding and commercially successful tracks
including this title track, “Chicago” and “Everybody”.
Many of the artists from Roy’s label have gone on to
become major stars in their own right, including Bobbi
Humphrey, Justo Almario, The Eighties Ladies, Ethel
Beatty, and Sylvia Striplin. Thereafter Roy Ayers
continued to tour, write and record with major labels
such as CBS, Ichiban, Polydor (Japan), BMG, and
numerous other smaller independent record
companies. In 1985 he joined a concert tour called
“The New York Explosion” which took by storm over forty
cities in the United States and eventually traveled to
London’s famed Hammersmith Odeon Theatre (now
the London Apollo Theatre). The band featured the
talents of Roy Ayers, Jean Carne, Tom Browne, and
Lonnie Liston Smith…it is no small wonder that those
who were present at any of these concerts still rave
about it nearly twenty years later.
Roy Ayers has continued to write, produce and be
featured in collaborations with many major artists, and
is currently one of the most sampled artists in the
music industry. A partial list of the artists and
producers who have recorded with, performed with, or
sampled the vibraphone mastery of Roy Ayers include
Milt Jackson, Gerald Wilson, Bobby Hutcherson, Sylvia
Striplin, Cal Tjader, Vic Feldman, Hampton Hawes, Billy
Cobham, Hubert Laws, Herbie Hancock, Teddy
Edwards, Eighties Ladies, Herbie Mann, Donald Byrd,
Phineas Newborn, Chico Hamilton, Jean Carne, Wayne
Henderson, Rick James, Ron Carter, Branford
Marsalis, Curtis Amy, Tom Browne, Stanley Clarke, Dee
Dee Bridgewater, Bonita Brisker, Grover Washington,
Jr., Miki Howard, Paulino da Costa, Stevie Wonder,
Lonnie Liston Smith, Pharoah Sanders, Dwight
Gassaway, Harry Whitaker, Harold Land, Gary Bartz,
Marva Hicks, Edwin Birdsong, Lew Soloff, Greg
Phillinganes, James Mason, Phillip Woo, Bobby Lyle,
Jack Wilson, Val Young, Brian Jackson, Fela Kuti,
James Mtume, Don Blackman, Galliano, Scott Grooves,
Terry Burrus, Soul Society, Erykah Badu, Guru, Ed O.G.,
Cookie Crew, A Tribe Called Quest, Quark, Puff Daddy,
Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Brand Nubian, Ruth
Joy, Masters at Work, Naughty by Nature, Eric Benet,
Jocelyn Brown, Tupac, The Roots, The Jungle Brothers,
and the James Taylor Quartet.
To date Roy Ayers has released seven CDs under his
own labels, Uno Melodic and AFI CD Records. Always
the consummate showman, Roy Ayers has managed
to incorporate his jazz virtuosity, with driving funk,
melodic rhythms and stirring vocals into an amalgam
that almost defies its description as “smooth jazz”.
This year marks forty years in the music industry for Roy
Ayers. His current album is entitled “Mahogany Vibe”
which features Betty Wright and Erykah Badu, surely his
best work to date. This years recipient of C.O.R.E.
(Congress of Racial Equality) Lifetime Achievement
Award, Roy Ayers is and shall always be a music icon
and a part of popular worldwide culture… Roy Ayers is,
without question, a legend in his own time.
Frank Chapman-Roy Ayers Interview
Musicians, like all artists and scientists, have in
common what John A. Wheeler called “A
dream-and-drive spirit, a bulldog tenacity of purpose,
and an openness to try any route to the summit.” Also
like good mountaineers they always climb to the rough
side of the mountain.
Roy Ayers, the musician, the artist searching for the
sunshine, driven by an intense longing to embrace the
essence and beauty of life in a song; caught up in the
alternating rhythm of confidence and exhaustion, finally
emerges and stands in the candid light of truth, a
mature artist refined by the march of time and crowned
by the genius of his people.
Who was this seeker of perfection caught in the web of
rhyme and rhythm? How did he come to be switched
by the sound of music? Where did he learn to play so
well? Who were his mentors? What were his
achievements?
In this recent interview with Roy Ayers on his new CD
release Mahogany Vibe I had an opportunity to raise
these questions.
I asked Roy why this album at this time?
Roy Ayers: “I think music all the time. But this time I
think I’ve been given a new opportunity to work with new
and exciting people and map out new terrains in music.
I’m talking about Erykah Badu and Betty Wright. I have
found a real soul-connection with these sisters, and I
am very much delighted that they have nominated me
the father of what they call ‘Neo-Soul’…They tell me that
I have inspired people like Eric Benet and Mary J. Blige
just to mention two different styles.”
What is Neo-Soul?
“Well you know people are always defining and
re-defining music. For instance my style of playing has
been characterized as ‘smooth jazz’, and ‘acid jazz’. I
listen as I play and I’m not caught up in defining the
type of music I play. In other words others are more
discerning than me when it comes to defining music
have called what I do ‘neo-soul’ and that’s cool with
me… You know its all about changing, really, and being
multi-versatile. I’m not imprisoned within any particular
style or category of music. I grew up in the be-bop
culture or what people today call classic jazz. I’ve
played with great artists like Hampton Hawes, Leroy
Vinegar, Harold Land, Pheneas Newborn, Joe
Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, Grady
Tate and others. I toured Japan with Chico Hamilton in
1966 and shortly thereafter played and recorded with
Herbie Mann. And I had very profound spiritual
experience with the late Fela Kuti, Nigeria’s finest.
Working with him was not only exciting it also put me
into intimate contact with my African roots. All these
artists enhanced my ability as an artist and their sound
became my sound. But as I said earlier I am versatile
so I expanded into concepts of working with Rick
James and Stanley Clarke. When I put out the CD
‘Smooth Jazz’ a few years back I couldn’t get my album
played over the so-called smooth jazz stations. In
Chicago V103 radio station played my smooth jazz
album but the jazz stations would not play it. So you
don’t always know who you’re making that soul
connection with. I remember seeing Miles Davis at
Radio City before he died. The Whispers came on first
and to my great surprise they paid tribute to Miles by
singing ‘Round Midnight’. That was the name of Miles
Davis’ album when he first bought out John Coltrane.
Damn! That was touching. You never know because
‘soul’ has no musical geographical or racial
boundaries…”
Are you explaining your transition from jazz, to R&B, to
neo-soul?
“I don’t think I’m really so unique. If every Black person
looked at their life they would quickly discover that they
have been influenced by every type of music prevalent
in America…what we call ‘soul’ has been around a
long time. It comes out of a particular culture that is
African in origin, but influenced by 250 years of slavery,
as well as other forms of racial oppression. When it
comes to dealing with people of the dominant culture,
often it seems cold and heartless and so ‘soul’ has
been for us the heart of a heartless land imbedded in
our struggles for human dignity and respect in spite of
the odds against us.”
“And I guess that the true beauty of music is that it
connects people in that it carries a message and we,
the musicians, are the messengers. I am versatile
because I want my message to reach all people. I have
always played soul music.”
From where I sit, a curious observer, a devoted fan and
a longtime friend, I have mostly heard and gratefully
seen Roy Ayers work over these last forty-odd years
with remarkable energy and passion. But I have never
seen a tired face, a dismal countenance or heard a
cynical comment on the follies of humankind. Roy has
always shown a unique talent for playing the right not at
the right time in the right place, and even if it’s a blue
not, it has a happy and humorous twist. And he earned
his right from the very best, from the musical heroes
and heroines of the last century. At the golden age of
62 we see him on the slippery slope with the youth and
I think to myself; he no longer belongs to any age
group, to any defined category of music, but like all the
icons past and present, he belongs to the friends of the
future.
ROY AYERS DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUM/CD TITLE YEAR LABEL
1, West Coast Vibes 1963 United Artists
2. Virgo Vibes 1967 Atlantic Records
3. Stoned Soul Picnic 1968 Atlantic Records
4. Daddy Bug 1969 Atlantic Records
5. Ubiquity 1970 Polydor Records
6. He’s Comin’ 1972 Polydor Records
7. Ubiquity, Live @ Montreux 1972 Polydor (Japan)
8. Virgo Red 1973 Polydor Records
9. Coffy 1973 Polydor Records
10.Change Up the Groove 1974 Polydor Records
11.Tear to A Smile 1975 Polydor Records
12.Mystic Voyage 1975 Polydor Records
13.Red, Black, & Green 1975 Polydor Records
14.Daddy Bug & Friends 1976 Atlantic Records
15.Vibrations 1976 Polydor Records
16.Everybody Loves the Sunshine 1976 Polydor
Records
17.Lifeline 1977 Polydor Records
18.Star Booty 1978 Elektra Records
19.Let’s Do It 1978 Polydor Records
20.You Send Me 1978 Polydor Records
21.Step Into Our Life 1978 Polydor Records
22.Fever 1979 Polydor Records
23.The Best of Roy Ayers 1979 Polydor Records
24.No Strange to Love 1980 Polydor Records
25.Love Fantasy 1980 Polydor Records
26.Prime Time 1980 Polydor Records
27.Africa, Center of the World 1981 Polydor Records
28.Feeling Good 1982 Polydor Records
29.Lot’sof Love 1983 Uno Melodic
30.In the Dark 1984 CBS Records
31.You Might be Surprised 1985 CBS Records
32.I’m the One 1987 CBS Records
33.Drive (Lot’s of Love re-issue) 1988 Ichiban
Records
34.Wake Up 1989 Ichiban Records
35.Roy Ayers Rare –1 1989 Polydor Records
36.Fast Money Live @ Ronnie Scott’s 1990 Essential
37.Roy Ayers Rare –2 1990 Polydor Records
38.Searchin’Live @ Ronnie Scott’s 1991 RSJH
39.Hot (Live @ Ronnie Scott’s) 1992 RSJH
40.DoubleTrouble 1992 Uno Melodic
41.Good Vibrations Live @ Ronnie Scott’s 93’ RSJH
42.King of Vibes 1993 Polydor (Japan)
43.A Shinning Symbol 1993 Polydor Records
44.Get On Up Get On Down 1993 Polydor Records
45.Vibrant 1993 Connoisseur
46.Essential Groove Live@ Ronnie Scott’s 94’ RSJH
47.Evolution 1995 Polydor Records
48.Naste 1995 BMG Records
49.Ubiquity Live @ Montreux (re-issue) 1996 Verve
Records
50.Best of Roy Ayers 1997 Polydor Records
51.The Collection 1998 Connoisseur
52.Spoken Word 1998 AFI CD’s
53.The Story of Uno Melodic 1999 Charly
54.Lots of Love (re-issue) 1999 Charly
55.Juice 1999 Charly
56.Smooth Jazz 1999 AFI CD’s
57.Perfection 2000 AFI CD’s
58.Essential Vibes 2002 Metro Music/Charly
59.For Café Aprčs-Midi 2002 Universal (Japan)
60.Destination Motherland 2003 Universal
61.Snoop 2003 AFI CD’s
62.Mahogany Vibe 2003 AFI CD’s