Roy Ayers Ubiquity – He's Coming (Verve Vault Series)
Vibraphonist Roy Ayers was profoundly inspired by a wave of jazz improvisation, funk rhythm, soul harmony and spiritual adventure that defined his 1970 debut for Polydor — so much that his next album, 1972's He's Coming, was the first credited to a new, loose collective ensemble named after that LP: Roy Ayers Ubiquity. He's Coming reflects Ayers' move toward a groove-based musical language, rooted in soul jazz and early jazz-funk. Tracks like “He’s a Superstar”, “Sweet Butterfly of Love,” and “Fire Weaver” embody the album’s mix of urban narrative, divine reflection, and deep rhythmic momentum — qualities that would later make Ayers’s catalog a source of inspiration for generations of hip-hop and neo-soul artists. The Verve Vault series is all-analog, cut from the original master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. — (via Label) — He's Coming captures Roy Ayers at the absolute top of his game, masterminding jazz-funk grooves as taut as a tightrope. Profoundly inspired by the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar (and including a reading of the soundtrack's "I Don't Know How to Love Him"), the album is a deeply felt exploration of Ayers' spiritual and social beliefs, celebrating the life and rebirth of Jesus with "He's a Superstar" and its follow-up title cut before delivering the equally impassioned political manifesto "Ain't Got Time to Be Tired," a wake-up call for slumbering revolutionaries. Aided by an exemplary backing unit featuring saxophonist Sonny Fortune, bassist John Williams, keyboardist Harry Whitaker, and drummer Billy Cobham, Ayers channels the intensity of his message into his music, creating the most vibrant and textured music of his career to date. The atmospheric "We Live in Brooklyn, Baby" is an absolute masterpiece, a haunting hybrid of jazz, funk, and soul that exemplifies the Ayers aesthetic at its most far-reaching and inventive. — (via AllMusic) ↓ Label: Polydor / Verve Records Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180 Gram Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1972 Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul Style: Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Funk File under: Soul-Jazz / Jazz-Funk ⦿