Song:You Send Me
Album:The Best Of Roy Ayers: Love Fantasy
Vibraphonist Roy Ayers started out in the 60s as a jazz musician but today he is best known as one of the primary architects of Neo Soul and Acid Jazz. Maybe you haven't heard of him but you've heard his music sampled by hip hop guys. He was born Sept. 10, 1940 in Los Angeles. His father played trombone and his mother taught him piano. Vibes legend Lionel Hampton gave Ayers a set of mallets when he was five years old. He started playing vibes as a teen and got into the Los Angeles jazz scene. He played with a lot of musicians but he had a run with flautist Herbie Mann from 1966-70. Of course Mann was not a traditional jazzman and included elements of soul and pop in his music. Ayers recorded three albums on Atlantic that Mann produced. He left in 1970 to form his own The Roy Ayers Ubiquity and signed with Polydor Records. At first Ayers' music was heavily influenced by the jazz rock fusion that Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock were producing. But as the 70s progressed, his music became more commercial. Probably his biggest hit was Everybody Loves The Sunshine in 1976. Also, it may be the most sampled song in the history of hip hop. This version of Sam Cooke's You Send Me was on the 1978 album You Send Me. By this time Ubiquity had become a full blown R & B group. Singer Carla Vaughan was mainly a session singer in Los Angeles. Ayers left Polydor in 1981 and recorded with Nigerian legend Fela Kuti. He recorded for Columbia but started his own Uno Melodic Records. This comp covers his 70s recordings. Roy Ayers toured with rapper Guru after appearing on his 1993 album Jazzmatazz and he continues to tour today. Here's Roy Ayers featuring Kathleen Bertram performing You Send Me on Sinbad's Summer Jam 1996.
No comments:
Post a Comment