Jazz
Roy Ayers (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, vibraphone, vibraharp percussion, synthesizer); Wayne Garfield, Dee Dee Dridgewater, Chicas (vocals); Harry Whitaker (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, harpsichord); Edwin Birdsong (vocals, organ); Seldon Powell (baritone saxophone); Jon Faddis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Garnett Brown (trombone); Jerry Friedman (guitar, electric sitar); Billy Nichols (guitar); Emir Ksasan (bass); Alphonse Mouzon (drums); William King (congas, bongos, percussion)
Includes liner notes by Tom Terrell
All tracks have been digitally remastered. Vibraphonist Roy Ayers recorded with Polydor throughout the 1970s and into the '80s, establishing the blueprint for the groove-centered soul-jazz he had built his name on. The '70s was Ayers's most fertile period, and his output for Polydor still stands among his best music. EVOLUTION brings together the cream of the artist's work for the label into a spectacular 31-track set Cool, bright, and unremittingly funky, Ayers was always more concerned with reaching listeners than with pleasing critics, and EVOLUTION reflects the artist's populist stance by emphasizing danceability and romantic R&B ballads. Yet EVOLUTION also reflects Ayers's musical integrity, his political convictions, and--of course--his expertise on the vibes and the equally impressive skills of his working bands. Since Ayers's beautiful grooves became the stuff of legend during the acid jazz craze of the '90s, EVOLUTION will appeal to vintage track-loving DJs as much as it will to fans of '70s soul-jazz. |
