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High Times
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 744
Location: music written by JK/Toby Smith
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 Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 13:38 |
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ROY AYERS FAN CLUB
Hi guys,
in this thread i will post some interesting information about Roy Ayers
a living disco juzzy funky legend from L A .
Roy Ayers is one of Jay Kay's favourite musicians.
i started to love this performer since i downloaded Roy's
"Coffy Is The Color" cover version by Jamiroquai on http://www.mtey.com
i have written a letter to Roy saying how much i love his music
to the e-mail address provided on his site http://www.royayers.com/
his biography:
Roy Ayers was during the 1960s one of the most prominent and leading jazz vibraphone players in America. During the 1970s and 80s he came to change his focus and became one of the leading figures in r n'b and jazz/funk. The 1990s has once again brought him into a new direction and he is now regarded being one of the greatest innovators of the acid jazz movement. His music has often been described as being years ahead of it's time.
Roy E. Ayers was born on October 9, 1940 in Los Angeles, CA. He grew up in a musical family were his father played trombone and his mother piano. At the age of five he got his first piano lesson by his mother and by that, a first introduction to the wonderful world of music. He started to play the piano and before young Ayers could spell his name, he was jamming hot bogie-woogie riffs. At the age of five he received a vibes set as a gift from the famous vibes player Lionel Hampton. It would, however, take 12 years, till he was 17, before he started using the instrument on a more serious level. As his interest for the vibraphone grew, he got more and more involved in the west coast's lively jazz-scene. He started playing with artists like Curtis Amy (1962), Jack Wilson (1963-67), Chico Hamilton and Gerald Wilson Orchestra (1965-66). In 1966 bass player Reggie Workman persuaded Roy into a jam with flute player Herbie Mann at the club Lighthouse at Hermosa Beach, CA. The jam session evolved into becoming a steady four year gig with Mann at the Lighthouse. It also brought Ayers into the direct limelight, which attracted him an enormous attention. During this period he also got a wider musical perspective and got interested in other kinds of music forms than the be-bop he grew up with. After contributing on Mann's hit album," Memphis Underground", and after recording three own solo recordings on Atlantic with Mann as producer, Ayers left Mann's group in 1970 and moved to Manhattan, New York. In New York he formed his own group, nowadays a quite famous constellation by the name of Roy Ayers Ubiquity.
Roy Ayers and his group Ubiquity in the mid 70's
With Ubiquity, Ayers recorded several albums for Polydor using legendary musicians such as, Sonny Fortune, Billy Cobham, Omar Hakim and Alphonze Mouzon. From the beginning Ubiquity was more like a R&B-jazz-rock band influenced by artists like piano player Herbie Hancock sextet, and the more electric side of trumpet player Miles Davis. After a while the band lost its jazz influences and instead started to create an own blend of R&b, funk and 70s disco generating in big commercial successes. The greatest successes came with the nowadays classic jazz/disco tune "Running Away" from the 1977 album Lifeline. Another big Ubiquity hit was also the tune, "Everybody loves the sunshine", from 1976. A song that nowadays is a classic on any 70's influenced dance floor across the world.
In the beginning of the 80s, Ayers started a collaboration with the Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, which he had gotten to know on a nine city long tour of Nigeria in 1981. Together with Kuti, Ayers started the record company Uno Melodic Records, which he ran alongside his own band and other recordings. Together with Kuti, Ayers released two albums.
During the 90s, Ayers has split his time between leading his own band, performing live, composing and producing for other artists. Ayers has also, since the end of the 1980s, had a successful collaboration with the highly regarded jazz club Ronnie Scott's in Soho, London, UK. Together with Ubiquity, Ayers has performed on several occasions as the official house band and have also released several live recordings from the club.
Roy Ayers in 1989
When hip-hop and jazz started to emerge in the beginning of the 90s, Ayers was invited as a guest performer on Guru's Jazzmatazz album in 1993. The performance became a big success and resulted in several club gigs in New York, together with Guru and the highly regarded American trumpet player, Donald Byrd. Ayers also participated with Byrd and Guru on the Red Hot organization anti aids project, Cool, in 1995. A project were the greatest in jazz met the new generation of jazz influenced disciples from the hip-hop scene. On top of all this, Ayers also did a guest stunt on the successful salsa/soul album Nu Yorican Soul.
Roy Ayers is still very active as a musician and as a producer and during the summer of 1999 he released his latest album titled, Juice. In December 1998 he toured Scandinavia and visited Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and also Gothenburg, were he performed at the jazz club Nefertiti, on the 9th of December.
his discography:
1962: Bird Call With Vi Redd (United Artists)
1963: Jack Wilson Quartett (Atlantic)
1963: West Coast Vibes (United Artists)
1965: Jack Wilson - Something Personal (Blue Note)
1967: Virgo Vibes (Atlantic)
1967: Daddy Bug & Friends (Atlantic)
1968: All Blues (Columbia)
1968: Stoned Soul Picnic (Atlantic)
1969: Daddyґs Back (Atco)
1969: Concerto Grosso In D Blues (Atlantic)
1970: Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival (Polydor)
1971: Heґs Coming (Polydor)
1971: Ubiquity (Polydor)
1973: Virgo Red (Polydor)
1973: Coffy OST (Polydor)
1974: Change Up The Groove (Polydor)
1975: A Tear To A Smile (Polydor)
1975: Mystic Voyage (Polydor)
1976: Vibrations (Polydor)
1976: Red, Black & Green (Polydor)
1976: Everybody Loves The Sunshine (Polydor)
1977: Lifeline (Polydor)
1977: Crystal Reflections (Muse)
1978: Letґs Do It (Polydor)
1978: You Send Me (Polydor)
1978: Step Into Our Life (Polydor)
1979: Fever (Polydor)
1979: No Stranger To Love (Polydor)
1980: Love Fantasy (Polydor)
1980: Prime Time (with Wayne Henderson) (Polydor)
1980: Music Of Many Colors (With Fela Kuti) (Celluloid)
1981: Africa - Centre Of The World (Polydor)
1981: FeelinґGood (Polydor)
1983: Lots Of Love (Uno Melodic)
1983: DrivinґOn Up (Uno Melodic)
1983: Silver Vibrations (Uno Melodic)
1983: Lots Of Love (Gresham)
1984: In The Dark (Columbia)
1988: Live At Ronnie Scotts (R.S. Jazz House)
1988: Drive (Ichiban)
1989: Wake Up (Ichiban)
1993: A Shining Symbol (Polydor)
1993: Share My Dreams (Ichiban)
Compilations:
2000: Touched By The Hands Of Roy Ayers Vol. 1 (2LP)
2003 :Destination Motherland
Singles / 12"es:
1977: Running Away (Polydor)
1978: Canґt You See Me (Polydor)
1978: Get On Up Get On Down (Polydor)
1979: Love Will Bring Us Back Together (Polydor)
1984: Poo Poo La La (Columbia)
1984: In The Dark (Columbia)
1985: Hot (Columbia)
1997: Ferry Ultra presents Roy Ayers - Dangerous Vibes (PJ)
1998: Scott Grooves feat. Roy Ayers - Expansions (Soma)
1998: Nu Yorican Soul feat. Roy Ayers - Sweet Tears (?)
Further Productions:
1980: Sylvia Striplin - Give Me Your Love (Uno Melodic) LP
1981: Eighties Ladies - Ladies Of The Eighties (Uno Melodic) LP
1981: Ethel Beatty - I Know You Care/Itґs Your Love (Uno Melodic) 12"
1982: Bobbi Humphrey - Baby Donґt You Know (Uno Melodic) 12"
my collection of Roy Ayers so far is:
Destination Motherland Roy Ayers Anthology 2 CD - 2003
Everybody Loves The Sunshine - 1976
Mystic Voyage - 1975
Roy Ayers Live Brewhouse Jazz 1999 DVD
Roy Ayers Live At Ronnie Scott - London 1988 DVD
JK speaks about Roy Ayers:
Roy Ayers Ubiquity: Everybody Loves The Sunshine (Polygram 1976)I think Roy Ayers makes jazz understandable for people who are not into Thelonious Monk and Coltrane and stuff. I mean I'm not a trained musician, I do everything by vocals and by ear, and so he brought all that stuff into focus for me. And he's the master of the vibraphone. And Everybody Loves The Sunshine is just the living summer track. It's the real leviathan of that age - the fusion of dope-smoking fucking jazzers. It's Central Park on a hot evening. I met him briefly. There was him and Donald Byrd: "Er, er, I just want to say, er, er, I love you, Roy".
interesting facts i have found about Roy Ayers:
"Sweet Tears" beginning - sounds like Jamiroquai's "Alright" beginning,
if you have this song, compare their beginnings, it'll blow your mind!!
Roy has released a 7" single "Slip N Slide" in 1985
Record Label: CBS, Catalogue No: A6604, Country of Origin: UK
i've read it somewhere Roy is the performer most sampled
by hip hoppers.
Jamiroquai play 3 cover versions of Roy Ayers songs- fantastic versions of
"Our Time Is Coming", "Coffy Is The Color", "Dont Stop".
on my little site you can listen to samples of 3 Roy Ayers tracks
http://www.geocities.com/good_and_brown/samples.html
remix of "Our Time Is Coming" by "masters at work"
http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF160740-01-01-06.mp3
is available in these compilation on www.juno.co.uk
check "Coffy Is The Color" sample from www.juno.co.uk
http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF183454-01-01-03.mp3
links about Roy:
http://www.royayers.com/
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Roy%20Ayers.html
http://www.mines.edu/students/s/sfairban/rayers/index.html
http://www.green-street.com/hotterthanjuly/ayers.html
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B6035
outstanding Jamiroquai performance of Roy's "Our Time Is Coming"
http://www.inf.tu-dresden.de/~s7340709/jam/eng_bootleg.html
from cool site http://www.jazziroquai.de.vu/
the other performance of this track can be found on
super site http://www.mtey.com in videography live section
http://www.mtey.com/videography_live/TROTSC/
Last edited by High Times on Tue May 09, 2006 08:22; edited 1 time in total |
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FunkEducation
Joined: 15 Jul 2004
Posts: 3309
Location: Maracay, Venezuela
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| Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 15:58 |
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amazing! all the things we can learn of you!!! thanks for that post! 
_________________
This is FunkEducation, supporting the 1992-1998 Jamiroquai!!
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PietroChocko
Joined: 02 Oct 2003
Posts: 676
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 06:30 |
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there are 3 people who have changed my life in the best way possible:
1. Jesus (duh)
2. Jay Kay (duh)
3. High Times ^^^^
dude, your knowledge is too big for me to fathom! GREAT JOB! |
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High Times
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 744
Location: music written by JK/Toby Smith
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 07:39 |
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Thank you very much for kind words, PietroChoko and Edgar!!!
Roy Ayers is a very special musician for me. he influenced
the style of my tracks very much - i started to use similar chords,
beat, vibraphone, elements of arrangement.
when Jamiroquai play Roy's songs i can feel something so much unique
special and deep..
one of my biggest dreams is to hear Jamiroquai playing "our time is coming" live again.
i posted similar thread on official site and maybe if Jay reads it, he
will decide to play this magical song again during live shows.
btw i was so amazed when i've seen the way Roy plays vibraphone-
he plays different intervals holding 2 sticks in each hand - i e he plays 4 sticks at the same time!!! |
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FunkEducation
Joined: 15 Jul 2004
Posts: 3309
Location: Maracay, Venezuela
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 19:27 |
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| High Times wrote: |
Thank you very much for kind words, PietroChoko and Edgar!!!
Roy Ayers is a very special musician for me. he influenced
the style of my tracks very much - i started to use similar chords,
beat, vibraphone, elements of arrangement.[/b] |
you're welcome!!!!
by the way, tell us, who hasn't influenced the style of your tracks?? every artist you call here is one of your influences... i imagine if someone ask you for your musical influences, you will take an entire day for that... ehehhe. The same happens with Los Amigos Invisibles.
Very nice! and thank you for sharing your music and knowledge with all of us... see ya!
_________________
This is FunkEducation, supporting the 1992-1998 Jamiroquai!!
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High Times
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 744
Location: music written by JK/Toby Smith
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 08:30 |
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heres a cool interview with the man:
Roy Ayers Interview
How is it that an artist can finally create his or her own identity? How long does this kind of process take? How many actually succeed in doing so?
Let us look briefly at a few examples of groundbreaking artists who have managed to truly "carve their own niche". Once one has been exposed to the paintings of Mondrian, it is almost impossible to not recognize his work when displayed on gallery walls around the world. The white backgrounds, the intersecting grids of black, red, yellow and blue lines clearly spell out the name of the artist like a nerd at a spelling bee. There is no doubt as to the authenticity of an original, or to the clear origins of an imitation. In the world of music, Soul Brother Number One Mr. James Brown was also able to define a sound for himself that is easily distinguishable from the countless ones he influenced or that directly imitated him.
Roy Ayers is another one of those rare artists who has managed to whittle a vibraphone mallet that only he can wield. When asking him about this he agreed that he occupies his own little zone. He didn't boast about it but he definitely does recognize it. When I pressed him further on this and asked him how this came to be, I was hoping that he would give me some mind blowing story but at the same time expecting that it would probably be much simpler than that.
I thought a good place to start would be to ask about the Roy Ayers sound. In a similar way to which Curtis Mayfield's music can be easily distinguishable from other soul and funk music of the period due to his falsetto singing and the strange way he tuned his guitar, so to a Roy Ayers production has a certain tonal quality all its own. What is it about his sound, style of playing and production that sets his work apart from the rest?
"What I did in a lot of my music was concentrate on clusters of minor 9th chords. These are very defined chords and you can hear them especially on songs like Everybody Loves The Sunshine and Searching. These chords are what make much of my music sound so intriguing and in a way mesmerizing. They can captivate people and get their head into another place…it's a groove."
I asked him if this concentration on certain chords was something that came from playing vibes or was it just a sound that he was going for.
"Oh it definitely comes from playing vibes. Even though a lot of the time when I was producing I would play keyboards or piano on tracks, I would not be able to separate those sounds from the ones coming from my vibes. Even though the backbone of the track maybe a piano line or guitar line, because I would lay it down first it would always have that certain ring to it that comes from the vibes."
During the interview Roy quoted Duke Ellington by saying "Music is my mistress". When you listen to Roy Ayers talk about music it is like he is talking about his very soul. The energy and devotion that comes out through his voice after all these years, all these albums, all these interviews; it displays his complete and sincere love for music. He said, "Music is my escape but I can't escape from music." In the 70's Roy Ayers generally released at least 2 albums a year. '76, '77 & '78 saw him release three albums each year and in 1980 he released 4. And I'm here to tell you; it is not easy to find a shit one! Also in 1980 he set up his own record label Uno Melodic, which show cased the talents of some former Ubiquity members and others like Sylvia Striplin, Jaymz Bedford and Ethel Beatty. The releases on this label, especially the 12" singles are perhaps the most sought after of all the Roy Ayers productions, usually changing hands for over 100 pounds sterling a piece!
"I remember back in my early days of creativity especially in the early 70's that I was just so hung up on music and the way that it just 'happens'. In the 70's I composed between 500 and 600 songs many of which weren't even recorded let alone released. Sometimes we would be in the studio for days at a time. I remember one time waking up in the studio with the tape rolling but we had all been asleep. I woke up the band and said, "Let's get the hell out of here! This is crazy!" I guess what I am trying to say is that music for me is something that just 'happens' and that is what I love about it."
In the early 70's in particular many of the jazz world's finest artists began to leave the more traditional camp and explore in the realms of 'jazz-fusion'. Many of these players, including Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd, copped a lot of flack for this betrayal from the straighter sector, especially jazz critics. The critics had a second go at them in the early 90's when they teamed up with a lot of people in the hip hop world and began working with them. Were they aware of this scathing criticism at the time and did they care at all?
"No, Donald and I didn't care. Donald is older than me. I am 62 and he is about 67. We both toured together with Guru and the Jazzmatazz project and we had so much fun hanging out with all the hip hoppers even though we are both older guys. We didn't care what people were saying then as much as we didn't care back in the mid seventies when we were really pushing jazz into new directions. Being a jazz musician but also being able to play with hip hoppers, R&B artists and even house music artists has allowed me to do very well for myself not only musically but also lucratively. I guess that comes from the fact that I am versatile. There are many other Jazz artists who have managed to get a musical reward for what they have done but have not reaped any kind of financial benefit."
How about the forming of Ubiquity in 1970? Was that something that "just happened" too? Did it just happen that Roy Ayers managed to pull together some of the most amazing musicians, many of them relatively unknown, on a rotating basis and keep pumping out work which broke down barriers and opened up doors?
"Yes, it just happened that way. They just came to me at different times and showed their interest in wanting to play with me. Sometimes I would have to tell them that I didn't need a bass player or whatever at that time but I might give them a call when the time comes. Many of the members of Ubiquity went on to lead their own band or pursue a solo career and I feel very proud that I had the opportunity to play with them and also had some kind of input into their success."
This is reflected conversely by the fact that Roy was a vibesman for both Chico Hamilton and Herbie Mann before he was able to enjoy his own time in the spotlight. This is one of the things about the world of jazz that keeps it alive and kicking, and that is the free trade of players and artists between labels, between groups and between sessions. All of these times of playing together for brief or extended periods form strong links between people that can be drawn upon at a later time.
It is now the 41st year of Roy being represented in the recorded world of music. He is still working incredibly hard, even though as he says, "I am 62 now so I have to tell all these youngsters I am working with to take it easy on me." Considering that Roy comes across as such an open and positive person it is really little wonder that he continues to attract artists to him as much as he ever has. In the late 80's and early 90's he basically gave birth to the Acid Jazz scene and now he is heavily represented personally or through sampler in house music, with the likes of Masters at Work and Jazzanova being super keen to work with him. He has a new album coming out in May with Erykah Badu entitled Mahogany Vibes, and of course is appearing live at The Prince Of Wales in St Kilda (Melbourne) on Sunday the 20th of April.
Can this man be stopped? He ain't got time to be tired! He's a superstar! |
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lafly
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 161
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 14:51 |
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Great intervew High Times, thanks for posting it up 
I'm definately a fan of this unique vibesman mr Roy Ayers. |
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mr_moon
Joined: 07 Dec 2005
Posts: 659
Location: Concrete Jungle In UK
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| Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 20:40 |
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Excellent work High Times (as usual)
Roy Ayers is probably one of my favourites artists now, as most others on here, i got to know about Roy Ayers through Jamiroquai. But I must say, there is now rarely a day that goes by where i do not listen to Roy Ayers.
One of my favourite tracks is Our Time Is Coming and i think it is fair to say Jamiroquai do the song justice. For example just check this performance out, it is one of my most favourite performances ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wALA6uW5es4
Another of my faves is Time and Space, this is an excellent track with such a chilled out groove. Oh and the beats on this track are sublime. 
I would agree with the song Sweet Tears sounding like Alright
But have you heard the track '2000 Black' there also elements of Alright in there also. It is becoming very clear where Jamiroquai got the inspiration for that song.. he heh. |
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