Roy Ayers

Roy Edward Ayers ( born September 10, 1940 in Los Angeles ) is an American vibraphone player, singer, composer and arranger. Ayers is one of the most important exponents of jazz radio.

Biography

Through his parents, his father played trombone and piano was the mother, Ayers introduced to the music. According to legend, Ayers should have been given at the age of five years his first vibraphone by the legendary jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.

Ayers became known in the 1960s as a jazz musician, especially for his soul-jazz pieces. In the 1970s, however, he focused increasingly on radio and now worked as a singer and composer. From this period may be biggest hit Everybody Loves The Sunshine and the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Coffy with Pam Grier.

Until the 1980s, toured and produced together with the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, with whom he founded the record label Uno Melodic Records. His music has since been particularly sampled by hip -hop musicians and was very successful and popular in the so-called acid jazz scene, especially in England.

The late 1990s were producers of the nu jazz scene is not tired to call Roy Ayers as an important inspiration. In particular, the influential British DJ Gilles Peterson moved guru Ayers ' music then back into consciousness, in which he frequently on his show " Worldwide" playing his old songs on BBC radio. Not least was published in 2001 a Roy Ayers album with previously unreleased recordings from 1976 to 1981 ( " Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 " ), which then served as the basis for many remixes and Ayers ' music for renewed popularity in the field of electronic dance music helped.

Roy Ayers is still an active musician ( last album " Mahogany Vibe " in 2004 ) and still occurs live. On a European tour in 2010, he had several live performances in Germany and France.