(For instance: “I’ve got the world on a string / And my nickname’s Geppeto”.) “Ft.

“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled and covered so much in the hip-hop world, that the unlikely straight-up hip-hop remix of the song is astoundingly successful, despite the absolute hideousness of some of not-ready-for-prime-time rapper MC Sakoni’s rhymes. When these elements appear on the astounding, mantra-like “Mama”, it does recall - just a bit - The Love Below, but they mix so perfectly with Ayers’s summertime funk that it becomes apparent that Ayers has been exploiting these grooves long before Andre 3000 was even born. Many artists embarrass themselves by trying to keep up with current musical trends - the examples are too legion to mention - but Ayers actually sounds reinvigorated by such modern sounds as hip-hop drum machine programming and an expanded array of synthesized bleeps and bloops. Mahogany Vibe, which began life as a fan-club exclusive release, makes mostly successful attempts to update Ayers’s classic sound, most notably with the introduction of overt rapping and the radiant vocals of Erykah Badu. With respect for the best of his earlier work growing in stature, now marks the perfect time for Ayers to make a full return to the music scene, while taking full advantage of the new styles of music that he himself once inspired. As a result, his output was always iffy, with moments of genius like “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” surrounded by disposable filler and smooth jazz boredom.

His aim was squarely at the pop charts, and he made sure his genre mixing was never too radical for radio. Still, despite his groundbreaking work, particularly with the crossover group Ubiquity, Ayers was never much of a true experimentalist.

Ever since Ayers abandoned his strict jazz roots in order to explore the distinctive mix of R&B, funk, and lite-jazz that would form the roots of acid jazz, a wide range of “alternative” hip-hop acts of the past and soul revivalists of the present have benefited from his smooth, yet forward-thinking, grooves. Perhaps no other musical innovator has stuck as consistently to the middle-of-the-road as Roy Ayers.

Roy ayers albums covers