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Positive vibes >> Legendary vibraphonist Roy Ayers on salvaged songs and independence |
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by SCOTT C
Mirror: I seem to meet a lot of musicians who haven’t really stopped at all over 25 or 30 years of making and performing music, and the consensus seems to be that if you stay busy and keep creative, things will probably go your way. Roy Ayers: It keeps you active, it keeps you vibrant, it keeps you goin’. I saw it in some of the old timers like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, and I didn’t plan it out or anything, but it just happens to be true. It’s wonderful, man. When you hear my music, you can see I’m happy! The secret to success is consistency. You may not be number one, but you’ll be one of the numbers. M: Talk to me about the Virgin Ubiquity album project with BBE. Just how much material are we talking about when it comes to all of this unreleased music? RA: Along with the two that have already been released, there’s at least another two records still to come. I also just released Mahogany Vibe, the album I did with Erykah Badu and Betty Wright. In the case of the unreleased stuff, I used to have a production deal with Polygram, where I made music, gave them the master tapes, and they keep it forever. But I was a recording fanatic, even though I’ve toned down considerably. We used to do 28-hour sessions, seven or eight songs in one session, and that was a successful formula for me. I would write on the fly, and that spontaneous action was responsible for some really great music. Spontaneity is very, very important. M: So the unreleased songs weren’t omitted because they didn’t make the cut, there was just no room. RA: (laughs) Yeah, or the songs that came out just went together better. Some of it is also stuff I was producing for other people that never developed into an actual record. People today need to know how easy it is to start you own label. The music industry is a conspiracy to hold independent artists down. Eventually everybody on a major gets dropped anyway, so you have to do it yourself. Any artist who’s smart enough to juggle their own career and make things happen for themselves in the music industry will be happier in the long run. With Christian Pronovost, Andy Williams, Hypnotica and Federoff at Cabaret on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 9 p.m., $37
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For over 40 years, vibraphonist Roy Ayers has been making timeless music for dancefloors and lovers, with a career that has leaped from jazz to R&B to funk to disco. Responsible for certified rare-groove classics like “Sunshine,” “Running Away” and “Searchin,” he has an astounding 91 albums to his credit and is still touring tirelessly. This New York native has enjoyed renewed interest in his soulful excursions with the release of two volumes of Virgin Ubiquity, a bumper crop of unreleased material salvaged from two-inch tape reels dating back some 25 years. The Mirror spoke to Roy Ayers over the phone from New York, as he gets ready to head up for the Funkn Soul festival.
The second annual Funkn Soul festival kicks into high gear tonight, Sept. 1, and promises fans of the good groove 10 days of DJs, live performances and some interesting special events, all designed to satisfy body and especially soul. A co-production of Gotsoul, Global NTT and Mixart Studios, Funkn Soul is the only music event in Canada dedicated to the best in funk and soul music. Through a mixture of classic funk, old-school and soul-driven house music, from here and abroad, the festival strives to showcase a broad spectrum of groove music.
Among the artists sharing the spotlight with Osunlade is local favourite and internationally known DJ Jojo Flores. A driving force behind soul music in Montreal, Flores has spent the last 20 years bringing his soulful sounds to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His Gotsoul production company is one of the festival’s producers.
London-born Nigerian singer/songwriter/producer Siji brings his own brand of African-tinged soul music to Jello on Sept. 8. Nigerian instrumentation flavours his ’70s-influenced soul style, making for a unique blend of musical traditions. |
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