Red, Black & Green: A few questions for legendary Roy Ayers
by Nikita Chistov.
While staying in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, during the annual Dutch Design Week, I was lucky enough to not only see Roy Ayers live but to also have a brief conversation with the jazz-funk colossus before the show. The maestro was in great spirits and seemed genuinely surprised to see so many ardent fans flock into the compact FIFTH NRE. You would expect someone of Ayers’ level of experience to view DDW Music Festival Special as just another gig in a life-long series of gigs, but the vibist clearly never took a single show for granted. “It’s incredible, all these people came here to see me!” he would say throughout the interview, drawing my attention to the mixed crowd on the dancefloor. They certainly all came to see you, godfather. Even if most of them did not realize that as they waited for the main star of the show, he was already there, seated nearby and enjoying the atmosphere.
Nikita: When was your last time performing in The Netherlands?
Roy: This is my first time in Eindhoven.
N: Did you manage to look at any of the design showcases in the city?
R: I’ve seen different designs, but I have not seen one on me!
N: Speaking of design, some of the records from your catalog are examples of very curious cover design. The “Virgo Red” record that has a giant image of your face right in the middle of the sleeve, for instance, or the legendary “He’s Coming”. Could you maybe speak to that a little? How did one decide on the record design back in the day?
R: The artists would usually work it out with me. They would always ask me, whether I like the art or not. I would usually like the art. I’ve worked with some excellent artists.
N: You are often credited as a great collaborator, someone who has made working with many different artists part of their work attitude. Do you remember a lot from the sessions with Fela Kuti?
R: Yeah, doing the album with him was really inspirational, oh my god! Being with him was so fantastic spiritually. His mind is so heavy. You know, recently I had a dream about him. I was in my apartment. My wife was there as well. And he was sitting in the other room of my kubwa (a word for a type of house in Ethiopia, as explained by R.A.). And I thought to myself: ‘Wait, but he was incarcerated… and then died!’ I couldn’t believe it. A very heavy dream. I believe that this was his way of making me think of a way to get him on stage. I will talk to my attorney to figure out how to get dead people on stage. Some real heavy stuff.
N: Are there any young vibraphone players you like to listen to these days?
R: I’ve seen a few young vibe players at a show devoted to Bobby Hutcherson. They were eight or nine years old, and they were all excellent.
N: Do you think that jazz-funk is a form that is still very much alive today?
R: I don’t know what other music is alive but jazz-funk.
N: What’s your favorite record amongst these three? * shows the covers for “Red, Black & Green”, “He’s Coming” and “Change Up The Groove” *
R: I like everything, but I would go with “Red, Black & Green”. “Ready for our liberation… Fighting for our own black nation!” It’s what I believe in.
