Born in 1940 in Los Angeles, Ayers became entranced by the vibraphone after being given his first pair of mallets by percussionist Lionel Hampton’s Big Band at the age of 5. He sang in church choir ...

They became his weapon of choice after he picked up the vibraphone as a Thomas Jefferson High School student at age 17. Ayers released his debut album, “West Coast Vibes,” in 1962. He ...

Born in 1940 in Los Angeles, Ayers became entranced by the vibraphone after being given his first pair of mallets by percussionist Lionel Hampton’s Big Band at the age of 5. He sang in church ...

There’s a kind of hip, laid-back, feel-good mood that we call “vibing.” The vibraphone isn’t the source of that slang term, but the instrument has a strong claim on epitomizing it anyway.

In addition to being one of the acknowledged masters of the jazz vibraphone, Mr. Ayers was a leader in the movement that added electric instruments, rock and R&B rhythms, and a more soulful feel ...

Best known as a vibraphone player and record producer, Ayers's work heavily impacted genres like disco, funk, acid jazz, hip hop and neo soul across his 60-year career. Ayers's career began in ...

Ayers could play several instruments, including the flute and trumpet but he became synonymous with the vibraphone, a percussion instrument that looks similar to a xylophone but has a set of metal ...

“At the time, my mother and father told me he laid some spiritual vibes on me,” Ayers said at the time, adding that later he picked up the vibraphones at age 17. “It’s funny, I started ...

Roy Ayers was the first person I saw playing vibraphone that made me think, “you know what, I think I need to get on those sticks!” Roy Ayers passed away on March 4 at age 84 after suffering ...

The annual United Airlines New York City Half Marathon returns on Sunday, March 16. For the first time in the race’s history, runners will cross the Brooklyn Bridge to enter Manhattan because of ...

An escape for temporary moments.” Roy Ayers, U.S. funk, soul and jazz composer and vibraphone player, during a live concert performance at the Kool Jazz Festival, at the Riverfront Stadium in ...