Everybody Loves Roy Ayers

HistoryMaker Roy Ayers

Truthfully, everyone loves Roy Ayers. HistoryMaker Roy Ayers, born in 1940 in Los Angeles, California, is a jazz composer and vibraphonist, and in 1990, was deemed the “Godfather of Neo-Soul.” Nearly “everyone” has sampled his music.[1] The sorcery of his musical vibrations and his overall personhood can make everyone happy. In his interview with Harriette Cole, Ayers confidently knows this:

“My legacy is that I can make everybody happy, everybody, everybody, everybody even the negative ones. I like to make ‘em all happy. And ‘cause I’ve made all kinds of people happy, you know, that’s—all kinds of people, positive, negative, whatever, all of ‘em. So, it makes me feel good…”[2]

 For this week’s blog, I decided to explore his interview located on the HistoryMakers database to find some of the things that he loves that inevitably attributes to who he is a whole and his musical mastery.  

Everybody Loves the Vibraphone

Just at five years old, Ayers was given his first set of vibraphone mallets by Lionel Hampton.[3] He says that Hampton’s gift was a deciding factor in him wanting to play the vibraphone and his overall introduction to the instrument. To him, the vibraphone is a “fascinating instrument”, detailing it as “…a sequence of beautiful notes [that] [are] built off of the keyboard structure in the regular piano…”[4] Having piano training from his mother at the time, he claims that he’s been serious about the vibraphone ever since he initially learned to play it. Since he knew how to play piano, as his mother was a piano teacher at the time, vibraphone was not completely unknown territory for him. He repeatedly mentions how “fascinating” and “wonderful” it was to play the piano and that he was truly “playing the vibes.”[5] By the time he reached Thomas Jefferson High School, he played drums, percussion, vibraphone, glockenspiel, and, essentially, “all the instruments”[6] in his school’s band.

Everybody Loves the Zodiac: A Virgo’s First Solo Album

Virgo Vibes (1967) from Discogs

Being that Ayers is a Virgo, born on September 10,1940, the release of his 1967 studio album Virgo Vibes was written in the stars. He has a keen understanding and relationship to the zodiac, even stating that Pisces people are his “opposites” [7] (I found that hilarious). His alignment with the stars computed an entire musical project. The track list for Virgo Vibes contains 5 songs, The Ringer, Ayerloom, In The Limelight, Virgo Vibes, and Glow Flower and was produced by Herbie Mann, whom Ayers speaks highly of throughout the entirety of his interview. It was his first non-collaborative record, and it was different from what he had previously made with other artists (like “Ramblin” with The Jackson Wilson Quartet):

“It was different…It’s interesting because…when you’re a composer of something, and it’s for you, you know, not trying to be egotistical, but when it’s for you…It was just beautiful because you get to create the whole thing, you know. Oh, it’s wonderful.”[8]

Everybody Loves Herbie Mann

As mentioned earlier, Ayers joyously talks highly of American jazz flutist, tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bass clarinetist, and producer, Herbie Mann, throughout his interview, sometimes even bringing up Mann while talking of another one of his musical inspirations, scatting his praises. Mann was also the producer of his first three albums. He joined forces with Mann during his time at Los Angeles City College (LAAC) in the ‘60’s:

“A bass player called me up and said, "Hey, Roy, Herbie Mann needs a vibe [vibraphone] player." It's perfect, I said, "I'll call him up." I called him up, I said, "Herbie, can I come play with you?" He said, "Sure." He came--I came down to the, it was club called, the Lighthouse [Lighthouse Cafe, Hermosa Beach, California…”[9]

Ayers and Mann were showstoppers at the Lighthouse club. Around this time, Mann was a relatively huge artist. He recalls Lighthouse being packed and everyone knowing who he was. Their success their prompted Mann to ask Ayers if he wanted to go to New York. Ayers described his time working with Mann as “wonderful”[10]overall. Together, they also worked with artists George Benson and Lonnie Liston Smith. Clearly, Mann proved to be a huge inspiration in Ayers’ early career and pointed him in the direction of many other opportunities.

“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” (Its Genesis)

The front cover of Everybody Loves the Sunshine (1976) from Discogs

One of Ayers’ biggest hits, the song “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” released in1976 on his album, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, was inspired by his time in Los, Angeles, California, commonly known for being captivating and sunny. He recalls waking up to flowers and sunshine and that alone making for a beautiful day, “…I dream of every day like being of beautiful like that. Like it’s so, it’s such beautiful sunshine and the beautiful vibrations and everybody's just grooving. I had a good time. And, I have a good time out in California…”[11] Interestingly enough, Ayers admitted to not liking California, and, instead, loving New York and has lived there ever since 1966. To him, New York is “…energy, you know, personified…It’s energetic…”[12] He didn’t elaborate further on why he didn’t enjoy California, but one can infer that it is still an integral aspect of him.

The back cover of Everybody Loves the Sunshine (1976) from Discogs

Roy Ayers was, and still is, the ultimate ‘vibe.’ Ayers still performs live and continuously releases music with record label, Jazz is Dead, today. Over time, his career has consistently granted him a tenured and highly praised position in the musical realm.

And…Everyone Loves a Student Ambassador Update:

This week’s blog post was inspired by my ultimate admiration for HistoryMaker Roy Ayers. I recently began to historicize and contextualize some of the things I, too, love, and music will always be my first and ultimate love.

 In our general student ambassador meeting, we went over some topics we could explore in the archive and how we should correctly go about writing them for future references. Being that this is the end of July, we are nearly approaching the beginning of the school year, and each student ambassador will soon begin to implement their outreach plans on various campuses.

Notes

[1]. Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 2, Roy Ayers talks about the sampling of his music

[2] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 13, Roy Ayers reflects upon his life and legacy

[3] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 9, Roy Ayers recalls his early interest in music

[4] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 9, Roy Ayers recalls his early interest in music

[5] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole.

[6] Roy Ayers.

[7] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 3, Roy Ayers remembers the release of 'Virgo Vibes'

[8] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole.

[9] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 1, Roy Ayers recalls touring with Herbie Mann

[10] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole.

[11] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole, September 19, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 12, Roy Ayers talks about his inspiration for 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine'

[12] Roy Ayers (The HistoryMakers A2016.022), interviewed by Harriette Cole.