Music
Jazzfunk legend Roy Ayers died
The “pioneer of jazz radio” is dead. He published dozens of albums with legendary musicians. And Ayers’ influence lasts: Numerous artists took up his compositions in their songs.
The US jazz musician Roy Ayers is dead. The vibrafonist, composer and producer died on Tuesday after a long illness in New York, the family said on the musician’s Facebook page. “He was 84 years old and will be painfully missing,” said the family. She asked for privacy, a celebration “to Roy’s life” will take place shortly. The family was also confirmed by the “Variety” industry portal.
Ayers was born in Los Angeles in 1940. At the age of five, Jazz legend Lionel Hampton gave him his first set of mallets at a concert, as Ayers told the “Los Angeles Times” in 2011 in an interview. At the age of 17, he started playing Vibrafon. His first album was released in 1963. This was followed by dozens of other albums as a solo artist, with his jazz fusion band Roy Ayers Ubiquity, as well as collaborations with Afrobeat-legend Fela Kuti or the hip-hop musician Guru. “Variety” described Ayers as “pioneer of jazz radio”.
Numerous artists used parts of his songs
His most famous hit, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”, appeared in 1976. As a sample – as a song snippet – he also appears in “My Life” by Mary J. Blige. Ayers’ music was also sampled by a number of other artists, including Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West.
He never had to ask someone to samp his songs, said Ayers of the “Los Angeles Times” 2011. “You just did it. It was wonderful to hear how people put on my sound.”
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
