From 1960s West Coast jazz to the funk and disco scene of the 1970s through to
the early roots of hip-hop, Roy Ayers left his mark as a soulful, experimental
pioneer and all round cool cat. Raised in Los Angeles by a musical family, Ayers
took up the vibraphone (an aluminium version of a xylophone) aged 17 and sucked
up the sounds of the Central Avenue nightclubs before learning his trade as part
of flautist Herbie Mann's band. He soundtracked the cult Pam Griers film Coffy
(1973) and scored underground hits with Evolution and Brother Green (The Disco
King), creating a soul-funk ...