Roy Ayers Ubiquity: He's Coming (Verve Vault) [VERVE]

Why you'll love it

He's Coming is Roy Ayers at his most soulful and searching, the home of "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby," one of the most sampled grooves in hip-hop.

This edition

• Verve Vault series
• 180g vinyl
• Stereo mix
• Pressed in the EU

About the album

Long before he was "the godfather of neo-soul," Roy Ayers was a hard-bop vibraphonist who decided jazz should feel good on a dance floor too. With Ubiquity he found the band to do it, and He's Coming, first out on Polydor in 1972, is where the vibe really locks in.

"We Live in Brooklyn, Baby" is the big one, a hazy, gorgeous slow-burner that hip-hop producers have mined for decades. Elsewhere the title track and "He's a Superstar" reach for something spiritual, while "Ain't Got Time" and "Sweet Butterfly of Love" glide on warm vocals, electric keys and Ayers' shimmering vibes.

It's soul, jazz and funk at the exact moment they started to blur together.

Also at Kops: more Roy Ayers on vinyl · browse Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Verve (cat# 5733744), a reissue of the 1972 album.