Roy Ayers

One of the most visible and winning vibraphonists since the early 1960s, Roy Ayers' reputation is that of one of the major prophets of jazz-funk and acid jazz, a man decades ahead of his time who successfully erased the boundaries between the various genres and styles of Black music in America. His playing signature has always been rooted in hard bop; it's crisp, lyrical, and rhythmically resilient. Though he issued fine hard and post-bop records for Atlantic in the 1960s, he formed Roy Ayers' Ubiquity, and issued their eponymous Polydor debut album in 1970 that showcased his groundbreaking evolution of jazz styles, slinky soul, and driving dancefloor funk. Over the next 12 years, he issued, produced and arranged a stream of influential albums for the label that included He's Coming (1972), Virgo Red, Red Black and Green (1973), Change Up The Groove (1974), Mystic Voyage and A Tear To A Smile (1975) Everybody Loves The Sunshine (1976), and Music Of Many Colours with Fela Kuti (1980). During the late 1990s and well into the 21st century, Ayers toured Europe and Asia relentlessly, recorded sporadically, and oversaw compilation and archival releases including BBE's two-volume Virgin Ubiquity series of unissued recordings.

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