Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 08/11/2009
A Tear to a Smile holds a unique place in
Roy Ayers' vast catalog. Released in 1975, it follows a string of albums that began in 1971 with
He's Coming where the great vibraphonist and bandleader pioneered his own seamless blend of funky jazz. They all had grooves, but jazz arrangements dominated; vocals were used only as accents on his instrumental mix. The two albums that immediately preceded this one were the stellar
Virgo Red and
Change Up the Groove, both issued in 1974. What is immediately apparent on the latter of these is how effortless
Ayers made it all seem; and why, perhaps, for his own artistic development, he needed to change direction. Having always loved soul and being deeply interested the newly emergent R&B of groups like
Earth, Wind & Fire,
the Isley Brothers, and
Parliament, the music on
Tear to a Smile is a logical extension of what he'd accomplished earlier. The funk and proto-disco sounds on this set are easily as sophisticated as his jazz-funk records, but there are key differences. The place of vocals on the album is a great starting point. With talented singers such as
Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Edwin Birdsong,
Debbie Burrell, and
Carolyn Byrd taking prominent roles on the set, the listener's attention goes directly to the human voice. That said, the instrumental quotient is equally high, with other players here such as bassist
William Allen (who wrote or co-wrote most of these tracks and acted as the session's arranger), pianist
Harry Whitaker, and drummer
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, among others.
The set kicks off with the
Carl Clay-
Wayne Garfield funk number
"2000 Black," with
Ayers on the Arp, a nasty bassline, and a killer backing chorus.
Ayers' and
Garfield's lead vocals lead a deceptively tough dancefloor number.
Ayers' own
"Magic Lady" melds mystic-sounding synths, sophisticated melodies, and vocals, and a laid-back, breezy backbeat into a first-class seduction tune. His vibes, in fill spots between verse lines, and a full of horn section (with
Jon Faddis!) punching up the rhythm section are simply ace. There's a stellar reading of
EW&F's
"That's the Way of the World," that's jazzier than the original and features a killer vibes workout by
Ayers. Other notables on the set are
Allen's tough, uptempo funker
"Ebony Blaze," which utilizes some of the
Afro-beat techniques employed
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (whom
Ayers would later collaborate with) that reveal both
Allen and
Ayers were doing some deep and wide-ranging listening. Another
Allen winner is the elegant and atmospheric
"Time and Space," with a fine vocal by
Bridgewater. Hard funk makes an appearance in
"No Question," and the title track, which closes the set, is outer-space funky soul at its best, and provides a sonic hint at the direction
Ayers' sound would take on his follow-up album, the classic
Mystic Voyage. This is a stellar meld of soul-funk with some wonderfully sophisticated, jazzy overtones. As transitional moments go, this one is an unqualified success.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
;)
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