Last evening, TSD learned that jazz legend Roy Ayers had passed away at the age of 84.  Prior to the sad news, we had completed and scheduled this news item on Cherry Red and Robinsongs' recent collection of five albums he recorded with the loose collective he called Ubiquity.  We dedicate this piece to Roy Ayers and celebrate his enormous legacy.​

When vibraphonist-composer Roy Ayers moved to the Polydor label in 1970, he titled his debut album Ubiquity.  In an interview quoted in the new Robinsongs release anthologizing five of the leader's LPs, he admitted not knowing what the word meant: "[My] manager Myrna Williams said, 'Roy, you should name the group Ubiquity.'  I said, 'What does that mean?' She said, 'Ubiquity means a state of being everywhere at the same time.'  I said, 'That's fate, because if everyone has one of my albums, I will be everywhere.'"  The 1970 LP altered Ayers' musical direction, adding vocals to the mix and moving further away from straight-ahead jazz to the soul-jazz fusion sound, then growing in popularity.  Two years later, in 1972, the prolific Ayers formally launched the group called Ubiquity.  Their fifth album, 1975's A Tear to a Smile, opens Robinsongs' new 3CD, five-album collection which serves as a reminder of why Ayers was later dubbed "The Godfather of Acid Jazz."

Whereas Ayers' early albums had been peppered with pop covers penned by the likes of Laura Nyro, Bacharach and David, and Antonio Carlos Jobim - the first Ubiquity album even featured reinterpretations of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar and the Hollies hit "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - Ayers had moved more fully towards original material by the time of A Tear to a Smile.  Only one familiar cover was found on the album: a shimmering take on Earth, Wind & Fire's "That's the Way of the World."  He teamed with keyboardist Edwin Birdsong (then signed to Polydor and later a recording artist for both Philadelphia International and Salsoul) and group bassist William Allen for a couple of funky specialties, and welcomed vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater for another pair of songs: the ballad "Time and Space" and the spacey, genre-defying "2000 Black."  The latter (written by Ayers' collaborators Carl Clay and Wayne Garfield) envisioned a future that was bright for African-Americans; the slinky track became one of Ayers' most-sampled tracks as well as one of his most poignant.  Another singer, Debby Darby, joined Ayers on the sensual "Show Us a Feeling."  The bandleader's lone solo composition, "Magic Lady," locked into a mellow groove.

A Tear to a Smile is joined on CD 1 by Mystic Voyage (also 1975) which continues onto the second disc of this set.  Dedicated to late saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, the album welcomed a new iteration of the group welcoming back guitarist Calvin Brown, percussionist Chano O'Ferral, and Debby "Chicas" Darby and introducing new recruits Byron Miller on bass and Ricky Lawson on drums.  Ayers' expansive musical vision blossomed further on Mystic Voyage, as it incorporated orchestral textures, disco beats, and earthy soul.  The midtempo title track (a moderate R&B hit) juxtaposed Ayers' soft vibes lead with strings and taut rhythms; it would later be sampled by artists including DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.  Among its other highlights, Edwin Birdsong's instrumental "The Black Five" was inspired by the five African-American baseball teams before the sport was integrated; Birdsong also took the lead vocals on "Funky Motion," first recorded by keyboardist Ronnie Foster on Blue Note.

With Mystic Voyage, Ubiquity crossed over to the Pop chart.  Ayers' band would score its biggest success with their next album, 1976's Everybody Loves the Sunshine.  Chicas and O'Ferral remained from the last line-up, but Ayers otherwise welcomed a new group of musicians including pianist Philip Woo, guitarist Ronald "Head" Drayton, bassist John "Shaun" Solomon and drummer Doug Rhodes.  The hypnotic title track, with its droning synth lines, has been sampled over 200 times and helped propel the LP to No. 10 R&B and No. 51 Pop.  Ayers continued to traverse a wide swath of musical territory, returning to danceable disco grooves, mellow romantic ballads, and funk-drenched jams fusing jazz and soul.  Its crossover success was no fluke, as Ayers was moving his music in an even more accessible direction without losing sight of his innate musicality.

He quickly followed it up later in 1976 with Vibrations, featuring Chicas, O'Ferral, and Woo alongside guitarist Calvin Banks and drummer James Cobb.  Various members of past Ubiquity line-ups, including Edwin Birdsong, Byron Miller, and Ricky Lawson all returned to the fold, with Birdsong in particular standing out as co-writer of four songs and vocalist on two ("The Memory" and "Baby You Give Me a Feeling").  Balancing disco with slow jams, Vibrations soared to No. 8 on the U.S. Jazz chart and placed at No. 11 R&B; it yielded another much-sampled tune with the swaggering, brassy "Searching" and its Earth, Wind & Fire overtones.

Vibrations is split between the second and third discs of this set; it's joined on CD 3 by the final album here, Lifeline.  The album returned Ayers to the R&B top ten and continued his presence on the Pop chart, as well.  Though Ayers wrote most of the material himself, he again welcomed Edwin Birdsong to contribute one song ("Sanctified Feeling") and co-write another two ("Gotta Find Another," "Running Away").  Bassist William Allen was back for Lifeline, underscoring the fluid nature of the group.  With Chicas having left the group, Dee Dee Bridgewater - her own career on the ascendant - returned to Ubiquity.  Sylvia Cox added a second female voice to the LP.  She was featured on numerous tracks, duetting with Ayers on "This Side of Sunshine" and joining Cox on "I Still Love You."  Ayers and Birdsong's "Running Away" became the marquee hit, a top 20 R&B single.  Critics at the time made comparisons to EWF, Natalie Cole, and The Isley Brothers as Lifeline gleefully skipped through the various strands of R&B and soul occupying the charts of the day.  Lifeline itself reached No. 9 on the R&B Albums survey - Ubiquity's highest placement there.  It turned out to be the band's final Polydor release, though.  After one more album for Elektra, Ayers ceased using the group name.  (He remained on Polydor as a solo artist, however, through 1982.)

Robinsongs' set features three bonus singles: the 7-inch edits of "Evolution" and "Domelo (Give It to Me)" and the extended 12-inch version of "Running Away."  Oli Hemingway has remastered, and Charles Waring has written the liner notes in the 16-page booklet.  It's all packaged in an eight-panel digipak designed by Big Tone at Wildlife.  Look for this set of explosive funk and mellow soul now from Robinsongs.  You'll find order links and the track listing below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Roy Ayers Ubiquity, 5 Classic Albums on 3 CDs (Robinsongs ROBIN78T, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

A Tear to a Smile (Polydor PD 6046, 1975)

1. 2000 Black
2. Magic Lady
3. Show Us a Feeling
4. Ebony Blaze
5. Time and Space
6. No Question
7. The Way of the World
8. The Old One-Two (Move to Groove)
9. Miles (Love's Silent Dawn)
10. A Tear to a Smile

Mystic Voyage (Polydor PD 6057, 1975)

11. Brother Green (The Disco King)
12. Mystic Voyage
13. A Wee Bit
14. Take All the Time You Need
15. Evolution
16. Life Is Just a Moment (Part I)
17. Life Is Just a Moment (Part II)
18. Funky Motion
19. Spirit of Doo Do

CD 2

1. The Black Fire

Everybody Loves the Sunshine (Polydor PD1 6070, 1976)

2. Hey, Uh, What You Say Come On
3. The Golden Rod
4. Keep on Walking
5. You and Me, My Love
6. The Third Eye
7. It Ain't Your Sign, It's Your Mind
8. People and the World
9. Everybody Loves the Sunshine
10. Tongue Power
11. Lonesome Cowboy

Vibrations (Polydor PD1 6091, 1976)

12. Domelo (Give It to Me)
13. Baby I Need Your Love
14. Higher
15. The Memory
16. Come Out and Play
17. Better Days
18. Searching
19. One Sweet Love to Remember
20. Vibrations

CD 3

1. Moving, Grooving
2. Baby, You Give Me a Feeling

Lifeline (Polydor PD1 6108, 1977)

3. This Side of Sunshine
4. Running Away
5. Gotta Find a Lover
6. I Still Love You
7. Lifeline
8. Cincinnati Growl
9. Fruit
10. Sanctified Feeling
11. Stranded in the Jungle
12. Together

Bonus Tracks

13. Evolution (7" Version) (Polydor PD 14316, 1975)
14. Domelo (Give It to Me) (7" Version) (Polydor PD 14370, 1976)
15. Running Away (12" Long Version) (Polydor PD D502, 1977)​