The first of three sold-out nights at Ronnie’s, and the prophet of acid-jazz was in an expansive mood. “Life is just a moment,” said Roy Ayers, his mallets chasing each other around the bars of his MalletKat Pro, as a quartet on drums, bass, keyboards and co-vocals nodded their agreement. “Don’t waste any time.”
The vibraphonist, composer and bandleader has packed as much as possible into a career spanning everything from funk, R&B and disco to Afrobeat, house music and hip-hop. A founding father of jazz-funk, neo-soul and, indeed, acid-jazz, Ayers is one of the most sampled artists around: “Always sampled but never duplicated,” insisted sideman Robert Pressley, clapping his hands in the air.
This neat, feelgood gig showed exactly why the New York-based Ayers, 74, is a longstanding crowd favourite in the UK. The hits kept coming: Evolution. Running Away. Love Will Bring Us Back Together. And of course, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, a smooth-as-silk anthem buoyed by vocal harmonies and airy keyboards that tugged at the corners of the summer.
When not singing in his mellow baritone, or crafting unconventional grooves with virtuosic flurries, Ayers was checking in with his band. Solos were cued with a nod or a look; superbad bassist Donald Nicks got so funky he briefly flagellated his guitar with his baseball cap.
Cosmic rap The Third Eye was all healing vibes and existential musings; the punchy Searching and the dreamy We Live in Brooklyn Baby came with good-humoured theatrics. Ayers’s peace, love and party manifesto had everyone up and dancing by the encore. Then there he was in the foyer: selling records, posing for photos, making the most of everything.
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