from the LP Mystic Voyage, Polydor Records, 1975For some reason or another, the first few measures of this track (which are just begging to be sampled) remind me of the Peanuts gang, like one of those little interludes where Charlie Brown, Linus & Snoopy are walking along somewhere; admittedly, that vibe doesn’t last, as it segues into a sultry strut more befitting of Fritz the Cat, streetwalkers & back-talkers. With the possible exception of Johnny Lytle, there has never been a vibraphone player as proficient & adventurous (not to mention hard-working) as Mr. Roy Ayers, and though he could certainly turn on the fire when he wanted to, the thing I appreciate most about Ayers’ output is the level of command & moderation he employed in his style---in a decade known for indulgence, Ayers compositions always feel refined, albeit breezy as a motherfucker, but never sloppy or overly free-form.
