James Brown often jovially accused Roy Ayers of having stolen his groove.
Ayers, quick to plead guilty, habitually replied: “Brother Brown, I couldn’t help it -- it’s so funky.”
The ever-evolving jazz fusion sound Ayers created has in turn been plundered by the hip-hop community as often as the work of the Godfather of Soul himself. The prospect of sampling Ayers’s collaboration with DJ and producer Pete Rock -- who’s own eclectic taste informs some of hip-hop’s most highly regarded records -- raced the pulse.
But this event threatened to flatline from the off. Technical issues left Ayers’s vibraphone poorly amplified, forcing saxophonist Ray Gaskins to ably save the opening number Don’t Stop the Feeling. The expectant crowd didn’t have long to wait before being treated to the 1976 classic Everybody Loves the Sunshine, yet again the sound failed the ensemble, conspiring to muffle the tones of a tune whose defining features are its clarity and bright shafts of light. It was much like someone had inopportunely rolled down a set of blinds.
Pete Rock’s contribution to Ayers’s numbers came in the form of turntable-driven basslines; some liquid, others authoritative and urgent. Although offering frequent cries of appreciation, the packed crowd barely broke beyond a shuffle in terms of physical response to his early efforts. Ayers appeared more than happy to make a swift exit and hand over to Rock, with any premeditated encore thought better of on the night.
Oddly, despite his undoubted wealth of wax curios, New York native Rock seemed intent on presenting well-kent soul and disco (rather than the more exotic bounties that enriched the likes of his much-loved T.R.O.Y.) to Scottish fans.
HH
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