Mystic Voyage

Roy Ayers was on a creative hot streak when he released Mystic Voyage, the second LP he put out in 1975. He maintained the searching, moody quality that had marked all his previous work, but the influence of funk acts like Parliament, Sly Stone, and Earth, Wind & Fire became more noticeable. “Funky Motion,” “Spirit of Doo Do," and “Life Is Just a Moment” are led by a beautifully fat bass sound; these songs would be at home pouring from the back of some gangster’s trunk sound system, right next to Parliament’s “P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up).” At the same time, Ayers’ vibraphone-led arrangements stand in their own world. Even though it was a relatively simple instrumental, “Mystic Voyage” can easily be identified as an Ayers original, simply because it exudes his trademark sultry but intricate atmosphere. This album also marked the introduction of a key player into the Ubiquity family. The songbird Chicas takes vocals on “A Wee Bit” and “Take All the Time You Need,” an exquisite human presence at a time when most female singers were trying to be larger than life.