Vibraphonist Roy Ayers celebrates 40 years of music with new CD 'Mahogany Vibe'

Jet, June 23, 2003

After four decades in the music industry, famed vibraphonist Roy Ayers is still pleasing loyal fans and winning new ones by showcasing his unique style on his latest CD Mahogany Vibe.

Ayers, a vocalist, composer, producer and arranger labeled as the godfather of acid jazz, took to music early in life. At 5-years-old he was introduced to the vibraphone when his parents took him to a concert, featuring the legendary jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, who personally handed him a pair of vibraphone mallets. From that moment on Ayers was hooked.

"I consider myself extremely versatile," Ayers tells JET. "I have always had the ability to play jazz, funk and blues as well as R&B. My versatility has helped me to sustain myself. It's been a key to my success."

The Los Angeles native burst onto the music scene in 1963 with his debut album West Coast Vibes. Since then, over 80 CDs and albums have been recorded under his name, including the hit songs Everybody Loves The Sunshine, Running Away and Searching.

Ayers, whose music has been sampled by such hip-hop artists as P. Diddy, Mary J. Blige and A Tribe Called Quest, says that the 14-track CD Mahogany Vibe has more of an "R&B flavor." His personal favorites on the new CD are Pretty Brown Skin, which is a duet with singer Betty Wright, and Searching, a remake of his old hit, this time featuring Grammy-winner Erykah Badu.