:: Roy Ayers - Virgin Ubiquity

Roy Ayers

Roy Ayres is one of those artists that use supreme talent to produce excellent recordings, which are sadly only ever appreciated by the few that will give it the time of day. At sixty years of age, and with over twenty-eight albums to his name, Ayres should be held in high esteem, not just for his longevity, but also for his ‘should be’ title of ‘The Magnificent Master Of Chill’. As album titles go, this wins my vote for the most apt. The two words, Virgin Ubiquity, together stand as a straightforward explanation. Virgin of course meaning that the included tracks have until this day remained unheard or experienced by anybody but Ron Ayres and his camp, and Ubiquity, meaning everywhere, hints that the small collection represented is merely the tip of the iceberg. However the title also lends itself well to a description of the music’s effect. His work has a way of being everywhere, absorbing into you regardless of setting, mood or fancy. Ayres applies his great skill to produce music you have to discover, which possibly accounts for his lack of mainstream success in our ‘verse, chorus’ world. His songs ramble in a beautiful fashion, and like a pointillist picture, it’s only at the end you realise that all the elements that seemed out of place to begin with, in fact combine to produce a truly individual experience. It is hard to imagine that anybody could dislike or fail to appreciate Ayres work, but for those of you who have become accustomed to popular formulaic production, Virgin Ubiquity may take some getting used to.