Roy Ayers Ubiquity

Released on Polydor in 1972, this is Roy Ayers hitting his stride. The Ubiquity sound has clicked into place: jazz improvisation, funk underneath, soul harmony, spiritual weight, all of it pulling in the same direction. The vibraphonist leans hard into groove without losing the openness, soul-jazz tipping over into the jazz-funk that would carry him through the decade. The band is loaded - Harry Whitaker on electric piano, organ and voice; John Williams on bass with Ron Carter stepping in on "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby"; David Lee Jr. and Billy Cobham sharing drums and percussion; Sam Brown and Bob Fusco on guitars; Sonny Fortune on sax; Juma Santos on percussion. "He's a Superstar," "Sweet Butterfly of Love" and "Fire Weaver" run the gamut from street narrative to deep reflection to flat-out rhythmic drive - the exact stuff that generations of soul, funk, hip-hop and neo-soul heads have been mining ever since. Vault series, back on vinyl. Don't sleep.