Roy Ayers (USA)
Roy Ayers, is one of the most sampled artists of all times. He is a King of Neo Soul in Erykah Badu’s eyes. He is a jazz legend who made the vibraphone cool.
A prodigious jazz talent raised in a musical Los Angeles household, Roy Ayers was literally handed a set of vibraphone mallets by the great master of the instrument Lionel Hampton at age five. By his early twenties, Ayers went from his recorded debut as a sideman to the headliner of his own album within a year.
In the 1960’s, Roy was an award-winning jazz vibraphonist but soon transferred into a popular R&B band leader in the 1970’s and 80’s. Today, the dynamic music man is an iconic figure still in great demand.
What has The King of Vibes Roy Ayers been up to recently? He voiced the DJ on Fusion FM radio station on Grand Theft Auto IV; collaborated with Tyler, the Creator, and Alicia Keys; and never stopped touring the world.
Raul Midón (USA)
Raul Midón, playing the djembe drum, guitar, and using his own voice as an instrument, told an interviewer: ‘Be careful when you try this at home. Might pull a muscle or something,’
That’s easy for him to say but very hard to do. And to do it brilliantly, as he does, almost defies belief. The New York Times hailed him as ‘a one-man band who turns a guitar into an orchestra and his voice into a chorus.’
Add the fact that Raul Midón is blind, and has been from his birth in New Mexico, and his celebrated musical genius is in the true senses, unique; extraordinary.
To begin with he writes beautiful songs and has a tenor to go with them. You can hear it on recordings by such stars as Christine Aguilera, Shakira (with whom he toured), Enrique Iglesias, Jose Feliciano and Johnny Mathis. He has laid down tracks for Luciano Pavarotti. And he has sung on Coke commercials.
Stevie Wonder is his idol, he was influenced too, by the late Donny Hathaway, and often his singing is reminiscent of Ray Charles and Nat “King” Cole. His solo albums draw from varied wells: acoustic funk, hip-hop, soft jazz, yacht rock and ’70s soul. He sang the credits song for Spike Lee’s LGTB film, She Loves Me and Herbie Hancock featured him singing I Just Called to say I Love You on the album Possibilities.
So Raul Midón is an eclectic singer/songwriter.
But wait. There’s more…
He’s also a dazzling guitarist … who uses his voice as an instrument. Midon is strongly influenced by flamenco – his father was a folk dancer – and his guitar, when he slaps it around, sounds as if it has a drum inside. Add to that he can purse his lips and produce the sound of a trumpet in full swing.
To top it all he has a wry sense of humor. After finishing his album titled Badass and Blind, it occurred to him that he didn’t have a title track. He wrote one, a humorous recital of his multi-talents.
Midòn says he developed these talents to stand out in clubs. ‘When you’re an artist with an acoustic guitar, strumming quietly in a club isn’t going to cut it. I wanted to project something rhythmic as well as lyrical.’
Raul Midón cuts it.
What: Roy Ayers & Raul Midón Shows
Where: Bird’s Basement 11 Singers Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
When: Roy Ayers 10 – 14 October 2018 – Raul Midón 12- 16 October 2018 (With Supporting Acts)
To Find Out More and Buy Tickets Click Here