Change Up the Groove

Roy Ayers always had a knack for choosing popular material that was particularly well-suited to his lithe vibraphone, as proven by his 1974 album Change Up the Groove. Ayers was naturally drawn to Stevie Wonder, who blended pop-soul songwriting with the breezy movements of jazz. “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” is the ideal vehicle for Ayers’ vibes. Meanwhile, his rendition of the “MASH Theme” makes it sound far more hip than it ever did on TV, though Ayers still manages to tap into the song’s inner sadness. Another winner is a version of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Making Love.” No one but Ayers could balance the intricate subtleties in this quiet groove, which was written by Eugene McDaniels. Ayers’ paramount values were cohesion, restraint, and groove, qualities that are further refined by “The Boogie Back” and “Change Up the Groove.” Of particular importance are the songs where Ayers used vocals to communicate his message. He invited Wayne Garfield to sing “Sensitize,” a hypnotic song about the need to alter humanity’s callous nature, while Ayers himself articulates the question “When Is Real, Real?”